


The Academy

by ChrysX



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Claudia, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe-Gakuen Alice, Enemies to Lovers, First Time, Girl!Greenberg, M/M, Rimming, Suicidal Thoughts, animal whisperer!scott, fire telekinesis!derek, ice princess!lydia, major scott and stiles feels, mention of past character death, minor Scott McCall/Lydia Martin, past Lydia Martin/Allison Argent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-21
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-02-05 15:28:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 45,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1823362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChrysX/pseuds/ChrysX
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(Gakuen Alice AU) Scott is forced to attend the Alice Academy; a school for the extraordinarily gifted. Stiles naturally follows right behind him. At the end of his journey he doesn't find only Scott but also more about himself, his family and the dangerously gifted Derek Hale.</p><p>You don't need to have read or seen Gakuen Alice. Everything about the universe is explained properly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intro I: The Alice Academy

**''In front of your eyes, it falls from the skies,**  
 **When you don't know what you're looking to find.''**

Stiles Stilinski was not an ordinary child. Not that he was special in any kind of way; it was a source of endless frustration the how plain and common he felt. But he was not like the other kids either. From a very young age, Stiles had trained himself to do what only grown-ups usually do; pretend. He would plaster a fake smile on his face and pretend that he was okay when he was really not. He would keep his fears and anxieties to himself, battling with them when he laid alone at night and let the rest of the world think that he was care-free. Sometimes it angered him that people couldn’t see behind his act.Even if one person could see then the burden wouldn’t be so much; he would have that person to lean on. He would tell them about how everything had stopped making sense in his life the moment his mother disappeared; without a trace, without a warning. He would tell them it was like he lost his father on that very same day. Since the fall that Claudia Stilinski vanished from Beacon Hills, the Sheriff had devoted his everything into finding her again. Stiles, only nine years old then, could only stand back and watch his father lose himself into this research and he never dared to say that…maybe his mother didn’t want to be found. Maybe she’d left them.

When Stiles was fourteen, he finally got his wish granted. In his life came that one person that truly got him. His first true friend. His _best_ friend, Scott McCall.

Scott had moved to Beacon Hills only with his mother, Melissa. As he later told Stiles, till then they had been moving constantly. For reasons that his friend couldn’t explain, the McCall family never got to settle anywhere for more than a few months. They were on the run.

 Luckily for Stiles, the run came to a stop when they reached the little, barely known town of Beacon Hills.  Scott broke through Stiles’ walls and Stiles allowed Scott to see the real him. The good-natured boy filled the hole in Stiles’ heart by giving him so much more than a simple friendship; he gave him a family. He fixed him.

 If there was one person for whom Stiles would go to the end of the world, it was Scott McCall.

 And he kind of did.

 To find Scott, Stiles did the most risky journey of his life. The first one, really.

 It was when they were sixteen.

 Scott had been acting weird for weeks. He seemed a bit closed off, lost in his thoughts. Many times he would get called out of class to the principal’s office and he wouldn’t tell Stiles why. Melissa wasn’t doing so well either. Every time Stiles would visit the McCall house he would see her bend over the kitchen table reading a pack of brochures, her brow furrowed in distress. When he found the courage to ask her if they were moving again, she broke down in tears and Stiles found himself trying to comfort the poor woman without even knowing what had brought her to that condition.

One day Scott didn’t show up at school. It’s not like the boy hadn’t missed a day before but now it was different. Stiles could sense this was not just another sick day.Somehow he had been waiting for that day;counting down subconsciously. He skipped his last period and ran straight to Scott’s house. He repeatedly knocked on the door but no one answered. He was certain he could hear voices talking inside but even after calling for anyone to open the door there was no response. He sat on the cold steps on the front not waiting for anyone to come outside but not really knowing what he was supposed to do. Scott had become an integral part of his life and losing him had left him confused about how he was supposed to go on.

That night he cried himself to sleep. He woke near dawn from a nightmare to sense a warm presence behind his back. He turned and saw Scott sound asleep.

‘’I thought you’d left.’’ He said, pushing lightly on Scott’s shoulder to wake him up.

Scott didn’t open his eyes but reached out to take hold of Stiles’ wrist.

‘’They wanted me to leave without a goodbye.’’ He replied. ‘’I would never.’’

Stiles didn’t ask who _they_ were. He just smiled and moved closer to his friend. They both fell back to sleep in seconds.

When the first rays of sunlight hit Stiles’ face, he opened his eyes knowing he wouldn’t find Scott by his side. It was still fairly early in the morning so he was surprised when he heard the noise of a car passing through and people talking outside. He walked to his window to see what was going on. Melissa was on their front lawn, buried in his father’s arms who was stroking her soothingly on the back, trying to calm her down. She seemed to be in a pretty bad shape. A black limo with dark windows was driving away.

‘’Who are these people?’’ Stiles heard his father ask when they were both sitting in the living room. He hadn’t joined them; he was just sitting on the top of the stairway listening in.

‘’I think you know...’’ Melissa replied; her voice empty of sentiment.

‘’Were they from the Academy? Is Scott…an Alice?’’ The Sheriff asked.

Stiles’ eyes narrowed in confusion. He guessed they were talking about the Alice Academy; the school for the exceptionally gifted.  It was one of the most, if not _the_ most, high standing schools in the country. It was widely known that it was collaborating with the biggest corporations worldwide and their students were specifically trained so that they would one day become part of their staff. Stiles couldn’t connect Scott to all these. Sure, his friend was a very bright guy with many qualities but a terrifying genius he was not. At least he thought so.

‘’Yes. They’ve been after us for years. We’ve been moving from place to place since Scott was five. That’s more than ten years...Scott was tired. He just wanted it to end.’’

‘’It manifested so early?’’ His father asked as if he was talking about some kind of genetic disease.

‘’It was obvious even before he could walk. At least to me. Claudia told me that hers appeared quite late, huh?’’

Stiles felt his heart clench violently at the sound of his mother’s name. Melissa had never mentioned that he knew her.

‘’Claudia...as in...My wife?’’ The Sheriff sounded dumbstruck; the words leaving his mouth with difficulty.

‘’Yes… Didn’t she tell you? She was the one that helped us escape them last time. Who do you think pointed us to Beacon Hills?’’

‘’You saw my wife? You talked to her?’’ He was obviously still trying to process the new information….and very probably failing. Stiles’ nails dug into the flesh of his palms; the boy was barely breathing as he waited to hear the first real information for his mother well-being in years.

‘’She came to find us when we were living in Oklahoma. Claudia warned us that the Academy was closing in on us and she took us out of there the same day. We lived at her team’s station in the south for a month or so and then she sent us here.’’

‘’She...what team… I don’t understand.’’

‘’You...don’t know.’’ Melissa realized then. ‘’Have you not talked with her?’’

‘’Not in years… I thought…I mean I could feel that she was alive…’’ His father’s voice sounded broken. Stiles could tell that he felt both betrayed and relieved; that’s how he felt too. ‘’What is this team you’re talking about… What is Claudia doing with them?’’

‘’Uh…I think that it’s better if I not tell you. If Claudia tried to keep you out of this, she had her reasons. And I trust her. I trust that she knows what she’s doing…  I’m sorry.’’

Stiles finally caught a glimpse of Melissa as she moved towards the entrance to leave. The Sheriff caught up with her and grabbed her by the arm.

‘’At least tell me if she’s okay, please.’’

The woman sighed exasperatedly but  she gave in.

‘’She’s doing fine. I mean...she was. It’s been two years. I haven’t heard of her since then.’’

The Sheriff simply nodded and let Melissa go her way. He turned to see Stiles sitting on the stairs but he said nothing. He just wore his jacket and left.

Stiles was worried. Not so much for his mother;she was just a memory from so long ago. He was worried for his father who after years of fruitless searches had the first real clue for the whereabouts of his mother. Stiles just knew that the Sheriff would not let this go. Also he was worried for his best friend. There were not much information about what was going on exactly in the Alice Academy but if he were to go by the conversation he just heard, it could not be good.

* * *

His worries proved to be completely reasonable. It had been two months since the day Scott left and he rarely saw his father anymore and when he did, he always seemed exhausted and frustrated. There had been a couple of weekends that he hadn’t returned home at all.

He had only received one letter from Scott. It wasn’t very revealing. The boy wrote that he was pleased with his life in the Academy. He had made friends and there was a girl that he liked. The subjects were a lot more interesting than those in Beacon Hills High but also more demanding. Scott was sad though because communication with the outer world was a real hardship. It took weeks before he was allowed to establish a regular communication with his mother over the phone and even more to allow him to send out a simple letter. Moreover he wasn’t permitted to leave the grounds of the Academy and only close relatives could visit him but that would take another six months.

There was no way Stiles would be okay with that. Scott was his brother, his other half, and he needed him in his life. A bunch of letters just wouldn’t do. Unfortunately, the address on the envelope was not that of the Academy but of the headquarters of a shipping company. He would have to wait until it was time for Melissa to visit him. He made sure that she would tell him of her departure by telling her that he wanted to send some things to Scott.

It was a warm morning of March that Melissa finally crossed the borders of Beacon Hills. Stiles was following right behind her; not with the jeep of course. He had spent a considerable part of his savings to rent a different one. He was pretty sure his father would freak out if he happened to notice his departure but he was once again on one of his ‘’trips’’ following the trace of his mother and Stiles hoped that he would be back before him.

Melissa drove till the Union Station in Los Angeles, thankfully with very few breaks. From there she boarded the train to Seattle. Stiles did have a minor melt down when he figured they would be travelling so far but it was expected that the Academy wouldn’t be stationed right in the center of everything. Because of the valuableness of their students, there had been reported some attempts of kidnapping so it was natural that they were kept away of the world. Stiles had prepared himself suitably.

He had never travelled with a train before. He spent the biggest part of the trip throwing up and trying to make himself go to sleep. The people he was sharing a coupet with were having a really hard time but they were thankfully understanding. He wasn’t getting out much because Melissa was occupying the coupet right next to him. He got out at the stop to San Francisco so that he would catch a bite that he would actually hold down but this was pretty much it.  He breathed out a sigh of relief when they finally reached Seattle the night after. He managed to make himself lost in the crowd and he followed Melissa to the front entrance where she joined a group of people; families they seemed. Soon they moved to a place where a dozen of black cars were parked. On their side they had the Alice Academy emblem. People with catalogues in their hands got out of the cars and the group started lining up. When the first cars departed, along with Melissa, he thought of trying to board the last car. There were only two people waiting to get in.

‘’Name?’’ A red-haired woman in a very fitting, black suit asked.

‘’Stiles...eeh...Stiles McCall. I’m Scott McCall’s brother. They sent me here because there wasn’t any space in my mother’s car.’’

The woman checked her catalogue.

‘’Scott McCall...yes. But...i thought we were only driving his mother.’’ She looked up at Stiles suspiciously.’’Maybe i should call...’’

‘’You’re Stiles?’’ A boy next to him asked enthusiastically. He was pretty tall, with curly hair and bright, blue eyes. ‘’ I met Scott at my previous visit. He couldn’t stop talking about you.’’ He reached out and shaked Stiles’ hand. ‘’I’m Isaac. My brother is also in the Academy.’’

‘’Nice to meet you.’’ He replied, trying to convey his gratitude through his eyes.

Isaac turned to the red-head and said ‘’He’s alright, Ann. I know his brother.’’ The woman nodded then and opened the door for them.

‘’Thanks, man.’’ Stiles whispered when they settled in the car.

Isaac smiled at him. ‘’It’s fine, dude. Family is a lot more than blood relations. You miss him. I get it.’’

* * *

The drive lasted about two hours. The scenery held nothing recognizable so Stiles had no idea about where they were heading. He couldn’t speak freely with Isaac but the boy assured him that Scott was truly doing okay. He made it sound like Scott had finally found somewhere he could belong and that really baffled him. Was the Academy good or bad?

When they reached the edge of a thick forest the cars stopped. Stiles jaw dropped.Were they supposed to walk through the trees? It was dark and freezing out there. Isaac was already wrapping a blue, warm looking scarf around his neck but the only thing Stiles could do was zip up his jacket a little bit more.

When they got out of the car, he hid behind Isaac  so that Melissa wouldn’t notice him. The people in suits led them through a wide path. At first the only light was coming from the torches the staff held but at some point little floodlights hidden among the leaves on the ground turned on and lighted up their way. When they started seeing the huge, iron gates of the Academy, Stiles parted from the group. There was no way he would be able to go away with a second control. He would try to find a different entrance.

He walked around the perimeter of the Academy’s tall, stone walls. It was a hard task because the school area occupied a huge part of the forest so he had to walk quite a bit and only with the light coming from the buildings and his cell’s flash guiding him. After twenty minutes of walking and his ears ready to fall off because of the chilly air, Stiles had decided to go back and attempt to sneak through the main entrance. But then he heard some kind of grunting and grumbling coming from behind the moist walls. Like if someone was climbing them? Stiles stopped and looked up to see what was going on. In the end, all he saw was his past life passing before his eyes as a huge mass of black fell toward him and planted him on the ground while landing on top of him.

Stiles had a very hard time breathing. He didn’t know though if it was because of the 200 pounds of muscle that was currently sprawled across him or because of the piercing, green eyes that were staring right at him. It wasn’t bright enough for him to see the man on top of him clearly but he could tell he was quite young and maybe...frightened?

‘’What the hell, man?’’ Stiles managed to croak.

The guy didn’t answer. He easily pushed himself off Stiles and got on his feet. He looked around and then grabbed Stiles by the wrist and helped him stand up. The strange thing was that he didn’t let go. He kept holding Stiles and started pulling him back toward the trees. It took him a few seconds to come out of the shock and start putting some resistance.

‘’Hey, hey...Dude. Will you stop? I said stop!’’ Stiles shouted.

The guy stopped dead in his tracks and look back. He still didn’t let go though.

‘’What?’’

‘’Uhm...where are you taking me...us?’’

‘’Out of here?’’ He stated as if it was obvious.

‘’But...but i want to get _in_ here.’’ Stiles pointed with his free hand.

The guy’s eyebrows shot up in an expression of bewilderment.

‘’Are you crazy?’’

‘’Is that a trick question?’’

The guy started dragging him again behind him. Stiles was trying to nail his feet on the ground but he wasn’t strong enough.

‘’Please, let me go. My friend’s in there.’’

‘’Shut up and follow me, you moron.’’

Stiles was starting to feel desperate. He was about to resolve to biting and scratching his way out of the boy’s hold when a woman’s voice called behind them. ‘’Mr. Hale!’’

‘’Fuck.’’ The guy.. _Hale_...swore. ‘’Stop right there, Morrell.’’ They both turned to face a smug looking brunet. She was pointing her flashlight right into their eyes, blinding them.  Despite that, Stiles couldn’t help but notice she was one of the most attractive people he’d ever seen. She had long, silk-looking hair and under her long trench-coat she was wearing a tight, black dress that was fitting her perfectly.    

‘’I see you made a new friend.’’ She said while walking toward them. ‘’Aw...such a cute thing.’’

‘’You leave him out of this. He’s not an Alice...He ended up here by accident.’’

‘’And what about you, ** _Hale_**?’’ The way she pronounced his name this time was different. Her voice was deeper… out-worldly.  ‘’Why are you here?’’

‘’Don’t...don’t come any closer.’’ He said. His voice was flooded with panic.

That didn’t deter the woman though who kept closing in. Stiles couldn’t understand why the Hale guy wasn’t running away. He seemed...stuck.

‘’This is the sixth time you’re trying to run away, boy. You’re gonna make me use my power on you and embarrass you in front of your friend.’’ Morrell was now right in front of Hale; her breath ghosting his face.

Hale managed to let out a tiny whimper before Morrell leaned forward to press her lips on his. The boy’s mouth opened invitingly but the woman just softly breathed into him, causing him to gasp. He turned to look at Stiles through heavy-lidded eyes, squeezing his wrist lightly, like a warning or a call for help. He tried to say something but it took only seconds for him to fall on the ground unconscious.

‘’So..’’ Stiles said, crossing his arms and looking at the Academy inspectingly. ‘’I take it that this is not the gas station?’’    

* * *

 

********  
  
  



	2. Intro II: The hidden Alice

Every fiber in Stiles body was calling for him to run;run and never look behind. The only thing that held him from doing it was Hale’s unconscious body fallen right next to him. He had to make sure that he was okay. Stiles wasn’t certain but he had a feeling that the boy was trying to protect him before.

He tried moving a bit closer to Hale while never leaving Morrell out of his sight. For some torturous, long seconds all the woman did was observe him without asking or saying anything. When Stiles crouched beside the boy’s still form and grasped his wrist to look for a pulse, she finally spoke.

‘’Hey, he’s going to be okay.’’ She said in a comforting manner; as if Stiles would break down at the thought of Hale being harmed. ‘’He’s just sleeping. Are you two… together?’’

‘’What? No.’’ Stiles stated, standing back up.

‘’It’s alright, you can tell me. Were you trying to run away together?’’ She was staring at him with wide eyes as if trying to convey that she would be understanding.

‘’Listen lady...i mean...Miss Morrell? I have never met this guy before in my life and i was most definitely not trying to elope with him.’’ Stiles snorted at that. ‘’ So...whatever problem there is between you two, leave me out of it. I’m just trying to find a way into this school.’’

Morrell’s posture changed immediately; it became guarded, ready for attack.

‘’Why do you wanna get into the school?’’ She asked, narrowing her eyes inquiringly.

‘’Uh...because? It’s none of your concern.’’ Stiles answered defensively.

‘’Well, as a teacher of this academy, i think it’s absolutely my concern.’’ She said, causing Stiles’ jaw to drop.

‘’A teacher? Wow!’’ He exclaimed breathlessly. ‘’Do all the teachers in this academy sexually assault their students?’’

‘’All the teachers in this academy do everything so that _no harm_ falls to their students. So tell me. Who are you and what do you want? And it better be the truth.’’ She warned him.

‘’I’m...okay, look… I’m just trying to see my friend, Scott McCall. We’re like best friends...Brothers, really. I know you have these crazy rules for social visits and...i mean...i’m starting to see why.’’ He said throwing a look at Hale who was still unresponsive. ‘’But i swear...all i want is to see my friend. I’ll leave right after and… i don’t know...i can sign a contract if you want that i won’t disclose info about what goes on behind these walls...anything. I just really, really want to see him.’’

Morrell seemed to contemplate the truth of his words before letting her face soften and rolling her eyes.

‘’Listen to me, boy. It’s really admirable that you came all this way to find your friend and i know it’s hard to be apart but these rules exist for a reason...’’

‘’But...’’

‘’No. **_Listen_**.’’ The woman said, using once again her strange, deeper voice. ‘’You must **_go_**. **_You will walk back to where you came from. You will walk until you find the side of the street. There’ll be a cab waiting for you there. It will take you to the station. Go back home and tell nothing of where you’ve been and what you saw. Do you understand?’’_**

Her eyes never left his. Her words kept echoing inside his head again and again. It took him quite a while to find the concentration required to respond.

‘’Okay. I understand you don’t want me to go in. What if Scott came outside so that i could talk to him?’’ He offered instead.

While Stiles did not expect Morrell to bend to his wills, he didn’t imagine she would be so surprised when he didn’t bend to hers. The woman’s expression was that of complete and utter shock.

‘’Did you not listen? I said ** _leave_**.’’ She repeated with a determined expression.

‘’Yeah. And i said let’s not be hasty.’’

‘’Don’t you...uh...feel anything strange?’’ Morrell asked curiously.

‘’Not...really?’’

‘’What did you say your name was?’’

‘’I didn’t. It’s Stiles Stilinski.’’

‘’Stilinski? Where have i heard that name before? Anyway...Not important.’’ Her face suddenly brightened. ‘’Good news, Mr. Stilinski. I think it might be possible for you to visit your friend.’’

‘’Really?’’ Stiles asked incredulously.

‘’Really.’’ She answered, a smile spreading on her face. It wasn’t a malicious smile so Stiles chose to trust her. ‘’If you just help me move Mr. Hale to my office, i think we’ll find a way to work things out.’’

‘’ Move him? As in carry him? Because let me tell you, dude’s heavy. Trust me. He’s been on top of me.’’ It was halfway through the sentence that he understood the implication of his words. ‘’Eh...i mean...you know. When he landed on me.’’

‘’And what do you propose that we do?’’ She asked obviously amused.

‘’Call for help?’’

Morrell kneeled behind Hale’s head and started to push him into a sitting position. ‘’It’s better that no one else learns that he tried to escape tonight..’’

‘’Oh, yeah, you’re probably right.’’ He said, going to the other end to hold Hale’s legs. ‘’What if we roll him around...like a barrel.’’

Morrell chuckled. ‘’I’ll tell him you said that.’’

* * *

On their way to the High School teachers’ headquarters, Stiles couldn’t make out a lot about the Academy. On top of the fact that he couldn’t see very well ,due to the dark, it was also pretty hard to notice any kind of details when he was carrying a grown man around, in addition to trying to do so discreetly. It _did_ seem to be a nice enough environment for a child to spend its student years there. There was green and water everywhere. The buildings were enormous and each one seemed to be built in a different architectural style. The building they were heading was of baroque architecture; it had three levels and a huge balcony on the second floor. There was no light coming through the narrow, long windows.  Stiles wondered where the student dorms were; where was Scott?

Luckily, Morrell's office was on the ground level because Stiles’ back was already suffering. The moment she unlocked the door and Stiles’ spotted a spacious couch, he pointed to it with a sign of his head and they moved to throw Hale unceremoniously on the leather surface. After Morrell made sure that Stiles would be comfortable, providing him with hot beverages and treats, she left the room telling him she would be back soon.

Stiles looked around. The place had a really cozy, homey feeling to it; more like a house’s study room than a teacher’s office. It was painted in a warm combination of yellow and orange; a couple of Van Gogh paintings were hanging from the walls. Behind the antique, mahogany desk there was a big bookcase that seemed το accommodate several old editions and a fluffy white cat that was currently sleeping on the second shelf.

The wall clock beside the window was showing three. Stiles didn’t feel tired though; he was in full alertness. In contrast to Hale who was sprawled along the couch, dead to the world. Besides some incoherent mumbling, there was no other kind of reaction coming from the boy.

Stiles crouched beside the couch and finally got to really look at Hale. He looked much younger than Stiles originally thought; seventeen, maybe eighteen.. He wore three small, intricate ruby earrings on his right ear and silver cuff bracelets on both hands An uncomfortable and completely unexpected warmth settled into his chest as he noticed how beautiful the guy was; not pretty, not cute, not even handsome. Just straight up beautiful.Not being able to control the urge, he reached out and tried to smooth out his permanently furrowed brow with his hand. Hale’s eyelids fluttered and slowly opened up to reveal his yellow-green eyes. Stiles froze with the tips of his fingers still touching the guy’s face.

‘’Do you know where you are?’’ Stiles asked, checking on Hale’s mental state. At first, the guy seemed a bit lost but soon his eyes widened in understanding. Out of the blue, Stiles found himself pushed to the floor, once again with Hale straddling him and violently clutching him from the collar of his shirt.

‘’Yes! I fucking know where i am!’’ He hissed menacingly, close enough to spit on Stiles’ face. ‘’Trapped in this fucking school. Because of you!’’

‘’Uhm...sorry?’’ Stiles said weakly. He supposed he had kind of stalled Hale out there. Not that he seemed to have some genius escape plan.

‘’Who are you?’’ He yelled.

‘’Stiles...eeh...Nice to meet you.’’ He gave him a frightened smile and a little wave. Hale unclenched his hands from Stiles’ shirt and used one to circle his neck. He wasn’t applying much pressure but Stiles still panicked.

‘’Tell me who sent you? Who? The principle? Morrell?’’ Hale yelled.

‘’Dude, calm down...No one sent me. You said it yourself that i was out there by accident.’’

‘’And what are you doing in Morrell’s office then?’’

‘’I just want to see my friend. That’s all.’’ Stiles grabbed Hale’s wrist and tried to get his hand off his neck. ‘’Dude...please...you’re scaring me.’’

‘’Yeah? You haven’t seen anything yet.’’ Hale grabbed both of Stiles' wrists. He held on tight and Stiles watched his eyes turn from green to bright, firey red. ‘’Tell me the truth!’’

‘’I...am?’’ Stiles answered, surprisingly calm. It was an already strange night anyway. ‘’ Scott McCall is my friend. I came to find him. Do you know him?’’

Hale didn’t seem to process whatever Stiles was saying. He just took his hands off Stiles and looked at them, seeming baffled.

‘’Are you an Alice?’’ He asked.

‘’Uh…no.’’ Stiles replied confused. ‘’ I mean...I’m pretty good at math and chemistry...but not anything special.’’

The guy looked at him as if he was retarded. At that moment, the large, wooden doors opened and a girl entered. She was wearing the school’s uniform; a short sleeved, white shirt with a calligraphic, capital ’’A’’ sewn on the pocket, a slim, blue tie and a short, blue skirt. She was a petite, red-head. She had wavy hair and some of her locks were stark white. Her eyes though was what really stood out. They were icy blue with an eerie feel in them. Stiles couldn’t determine  if her look was void of any sentiment or just devastatingly sad.

Stiles noticed that she wore jewellery too. A silver neck band decorated with tiny,light blue stones and several rings and bracelets.

‘’Derek. I was certain you’d be here.’’ She said.

Hale glared at her. ‘’What if i had made it?’’

‘’Am i supposed to answer that seriously?’’ She asked drily. ‘’At least you got a boyfriend out of this.’’ She added, sighing tiredly.

‘’Lydia, i just met the guy.’’

‘’Well… i don’t want to say you’re easy, but...’’ She stared pointedly at where Derek was straddling Stiles.

‘’Shut up! Do you want something in particular or are you just killing time by getting on my nerves?’’

‘’I thought i would have to save you from Morrell’s  scolding but i see she’s not here. Why don’t i leave you two to continue… getting to know each other.’’  She turned to leave.

‘’Wait!’’ Derek stood up abruptly. ‘’I’m coming with you.’’ He followed the girl without even looking behind him. Stiles noticed that as they were getting out, she padded him comfortingly on the shoulder.

Stiles was left alone, lying on the floor with a wide variety of emotions.

Was it possible for someone to feel afraid, aroused and confused out of his fucking mind, all at the same time?

* * *

When Morrell came back about half an hour later, she found Stiles on the armchair next to the fireplace, drinking cocoa and stuffing his mouth with soft, peanut butter cookies. She didn’t say anything about Hale not being there anymore. She just shrugged off her coat and went to sit on the armchair opposite to his.

‘’When am i going to see Scott?’’ He asked with his mouth full.

‘’Soon.’’ She replied smiling. She reached out and stole a cookie from his plate. The way she bit it, slowly, her eyes never leaving his, sent a shiver through Stiles’ body. ‘’But first, it is important that we talk.’’

‘’Okay? I’m listening.’’

‘’As you must already know this Academy is a haven for students who are extraordinarily gifted...’’

‘’Well...’’Stiles interrupted. ‘’I’m not sure about the haven part but yeah...I know that your students are like...super smart.’’

‘’Hmmm...not exactly. Each one of our students has a certain gift...A talent if you must. We call them Alices.’’

‘’You mean like...drawing, inventing mathematical theorems...’’

‘’More like controlling the weather, reading minds, healing...’’

Here was the part where Stiles should tell her she was crazy but by now he knew better than that. Instead he asked ‘’So what’s yours?’’

‘’I possess the Pheromone Alice. It makes me...well...irresistible. It helps me bend people to my will.’’

After some thought, Stiles replied ‘’Yeah, i can see that... Did you use your gift on Hale before?’’

Morrell nodded.

‘’But why did he pass out?’’

‘’Well...young, sexually inexperienced people tend to feel a bit overwhelmed. But as you can tell, he’s just fine. Anyway…The point of this conversation is not _my_ Alice but...’’

‘’Alright, i get it. It’s important that i don’t share all these with the world. I won’t. I swear. Can i just see Scott now?’’

‘’Stiles, that’s not what i’m trying to tell you.’’ She said exasperatedly. ‘’ What i’m trying to say is that as of today, you’re part of this school too.’’

‘’Wha...How? I mean… How?’’ He replied unintelligibly. ‘’I am...I have an Alice?’’

‘’Yes. A very rare one, very difficultly noticeable. We were lucky you came to us.’’

‘’What is it?’’ He was honestly curious. And a bit excited. It could be anything; from mind control to telekinesis to…

‘’The Nullification Alice.’’ _That._

‘’The Nullification Alice? I don’t even understand what this is...’’

‘’ It means that you can negate the power of any Alice in close proximity...I think. It’ll take some time to find out the full potential of your Alice.’’

Stiles huffed in disappointment. ‘’You’re saying that i have a special power and even that is the least cool of the bunch? I should have seen that coming.’’

‘’On the contrary. I think your Alice is fascinating. There’s only been one student before that possessed it and let me tell you, she was a menace. The only person i could never control. It will take some time but here you can explore your Alice and discover all the things you can do.’’

‘’Uh...what if i don’t want to be a student here. I mean...I don’t. I don’t want to be locked up for the rest of high school. I want to be able to see my father. I want to be able to choose what path i’m going to follow.’’

‘’Stiles, whatever you might have heard or deduced, this is not a prison; it’s a school. We’re not here to control you but guide you. And you won’t be kept away from your father. I know our social visits program is complicated but it’s there for a reason. Do you know how many people would like to get their hands on people like me and you? We have to keep our students safe.’’

‘’Can’t i take some time to think? Shouldn't i go back home and discuss this with my father?’’

‘’We will communicate with your father. I’m sorry. You can’t leave the academy grounds.’’

‘’It doesn’t sound like i have choice here.’’

‘’A few days in, you’ll understand it was the only choice. Only here your gift can be nurtured and grow. We’re not perfect. There are enemies even inside this academy.  But we are your best chance. And honestly, i think even if you got to choose, you’d choose us.’’

Stiles honestly doubted that. ‘’You’re wrong.’’

Morrell chuckled in amusement.

‘’I’m not. You travelled all the way from your little town into the unknown because you couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing Scott again. I think it’s very clear where your family is, Stiles. Where home is...’’

A loud knocking came from the door. Without waiting for an answer, the door opened to reveal a frantic but excited looking Scott still in his pajamas.

‘’Stiles!’’ He exclaimed. ‘’It’s true, you’re here.’’

Stiles had barely managed to stand up before he was engulfed by Scott in a tight hug.

* * *

 Notes:

-I trully hope that everything is understandable. If you have any questions please ask. Things might seem clear to me because i know the universe but i might be deluded.

-Sorry for the WIP status but i wanted to post before the premiere. I have a feeling i will need to clutch on fanon like a life jacket.

-I will post again next Sunday. It'll explain more about Derek's power and status in the academy.

****  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -I trully hope that everything is understandable. If you have any questions please ask. Things might seem clear to me because i know the universe but i might be deluded.


	3. The Dangerous Alice

Morrell was right. It might have seemed irrational to some but Scott _was_ a good enough reason for Stiles to go anywhere and do anything. For years Stiles had no one; no one was there when he wanted to scream, cry, share his love or frustration about something. And then Scott came along and Stiles was never alone again. They were each other’s constant.

When Scott left for the Academy, Stiles was having a hard time picturing his life without his friend in it. Now he didn’t have to. They could be by each other’s side again. Even if this school turned out to be a hell on earth, they would go through it together.

Until his enrollment at the school was a fact, Scott suggested that Stiles could sleep in his room. Stiles felt relieved. He had just found Scott, he wasn’t ready to part with him again and he was definitely not ready to wander around the strange place that seemed to be the Alice Academy all on his own. His friend led him to the high school students’ dorm that was a few blocks behind the teachers’ headquarters. The building was a lot less impressive but it had more stories and it had probably been built more recently. If every student had their own room, Stiles concluded that the Academy wasn’t flooding with students.

Scott’s room was like a replica of his room back home but maybe a bit smaller. The same posters were plastered on the walls, the same photos were decorating his desk and the same books were ready to fall off the bookcase from being arranged messily one upon the other. Scott opened a drawer and found a pair of sweats and a t-shirt that would fit him. The moment they jumped into bed, Stiles finally let himself feel the toll the last couple days had taken on him. He was beyond exhausted.

Stiles wanted to ask Scott a million things; like what was Scott’s Alice, what exactly were they teaching them at the academy,  would they be okay? None of them was though alert enough to hold a serious conversation.

‘’Are you happy i’m here?’’ was all he asked when he rolled on his side to look at his barely awake friend.

Scott opened his eyes and seemed to be pondering on the question for a while. ‘’Yes...and no.’’ He replied at last. ‘’I’m happy we don’t have to be apart from each other anymore. And the school is not as bad as i thought… We can learn a lot and...it could be fun going here. But the fact still stands that the outer world is forbidden to us, our families are considered a possible threat and our future is designed by others...not us. I hope we will have a say but i’m not sure. And i did not want that for you. It made me glad knowing that at least you could live your life the way you wanted to.’’

Stiles didn’t know how to reply to that. Maybe he should apologize? Maybe he should tell Scott that he was confident about his choice?

‘’Maybe we can change things.’’ was what he said after all. ‘’We don’t have to let them decide for us.’’

‘’Uh...i don’t know. They told me that there was a team of students that tried to overthrow the school’s system years ago. It was supposedly a very bad time for everyone and i’m not sure how the dispute was solved...but things are back to normal now.’’

‘’Dude, i’m not talking about forming the resistance here...But we can...work things out with them. Bit by bit. They can’t be _that_ unreasonable.’’

Scott chuckled. ‘’You haven’t spent enough time here yet, if you think that the Alice Academy and reason could ever fit together in the same sentence.’’

‘’Things are pretty crazy around here, huh?’’

‘’Yeah...but sometimes it’s the good crazy, you know?’’ Scott replied, his face splitting into a wide smile.

Stiles could only wait to find out.

* * *

They woke up only a few hours later to Melissa’s thunderous look who was standing right beside the bed with her arms crossed and her lips pressed in a tight line. Stiles had almost forgotten they had arrived at the Academy together.

‘’What in the world were you thinking, Stiles?’’ was the first thing she said. ‘’What am i going to tell your father?

A sleepy grunt was all she received in return. Melissa rolled her eyes in exasperation.

‘’Get up and get dressed. I’ll see you at breakfast in twenty minutes.’’

It was a ‘’spend time with family’’ Sunday so the dining hall was full of students sitting with their parents and siblings. There was a palpable excitement in the air; the younger kids were buried in their parents’ hugs, animatedly talking to them, while the older had their younger siblings on their laps; they were narrating crazy stories from the school and the little ones were looking at them wide-eyed and mesmerized. Their table seemed poor and quiet in comparison. It was just the three of them; Stiles and Scott sitting hunched, taking small bites of their scrambled eggs while Melissa gave them a piece of her mind.

‘’Look, i’m sorry.’’ Stiles said at some point. ‘’How was i supposed to know i was an Alice? I didn’t even know what Alices were.’’

‘’And it would have stayed that way if you hadn’t followed me all the way up here. For Christ’s sake. Your father will be devastated.’’

‘’I hadn’t seen my father in days. I doubt he’s even aware that i’m gone right now. All he cares about is finding my mother. He’ll be glad i’m out of his way.’’ Stiles’ heart pinched with guilt the moment he uttered those words. He knew his father loved him. He knew that he was important to him. But it was better to pretend that his father would be better off without him.

The look in Melissa’s eyes softened and she reached out to grab his arm reassuringly.

‘’Of course he cares about you.More than anything in the world. He is your family.’’

‘’Scott is my family too. I am where i’m supposed to be.’’ He replied with certainty.

Melissa sighed in resignation.

‘’I can’t say i don’t feel a little bit better that Scott will have you here.’’

‘’Yeah. I really missed you, bro.’’ Scott said, giving him half a hug. ‘’So...what is your Alice?’’

‘’The least coolest of them all.’’ Stiles answered, his mouth full of toast bread. ‘’Morrell called it the nullification alice. Supposedly i can stop other people from using their powers? But...uh...i’m not sure if i can do it in general or only when they’re targeting me… Actually, i’m not sure how it’s done, period.’’

Scott nodded in understanding. ‘’That’s what we’re here for.’’

‘’What’s yours Scotty?’’

‘’Uhm...i have the Animal Pheromone Alice...it’s not that cool either…’’ He replied, blushing.

‘’What does it do?’’ Stiles asked, thinking it kind of sounded like Morrell’s power.

The answer came three seconds later, not by Scott, but by the sounds of a high pitched barking. Stiles turned to see a tiny, akita puppy running toward their table and a girl running right behind it, calling for it to stop. The black and white akita hid itself between Scott’s legs and started nuzzling there. After a few, pathetic whines, Scott gave in and raised it on his lap.

‘’Basically, the animals love him. He could turn a wild beast into an obedient and playful cub.’’ Melissa stated with a proud smile.

‘’Wow.’’ Stiles breathed out, deeply impressed.

‘’It’s not like that.’’ His friend said, grinning shyly. ‘’They just know i understand them; that i can take care of them.’’ He picked a small bit of sausage and fed it to the overexcited pup.

‘’I’m so sorry, Scott. ‘’The girl running after the puppy said as she finally reached their table. ‘’The moment she noticed you, she jumped from my arms.’’

The girl was around their age. She wore her hair in a pixie cut; her black locks mixed with a handful of blue highlights. She was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt two sizes bigger than hers.

‘’It’s okay, Greenberg. You know i love our girl. Will you sit with us or are you here with your family?’’

‘’No. My granny couldn’t come.’’ She said, taking a seat next to Melissa and opposite to Scott. ‘’The world championship domino tournament was this weekend so...’’ She shrugged nonchalantly and turned to look expectantly at Stiles.

‘’Oh!’’ Scott exclaimed, finally taking the message. ‘’This is Stiles, my best friend. He just got here.’’

‘’Nice to meet you.’’ Greenberg reached out to shake his hand.

‘’So what are you gonna do the rest of the day?’’ Scott asked her.

‘’Hmm… The lacrosse team will be training later in the evening. I could go pester the Coach into getting me in.’’

‘’Lacrosse enthusiast?’’ Stiles asked curiously.

‘’No, i hate lacrosse.’’ She replied seriously. And then she sighed. ‘’But i would get to have more time with the Coach and i need more time if i’m going to convince him that we belong together.’’

‘’O...kay.’’ Stiles said not knowing how to respond to a lovestruck teenage girl.

Scott chuckled. ‘’No, Stiles, i think you misunderstood. Greenberg means it like...literally. That’s her alice. She can tell if two people fit together… if they would be good together.’’

‘’Oh...and doesn’t the Coach know that?’’ He asked.

‘’He does.He just chooses to ignore it. And me.’’ She added in frustration.

‘’Is it like an exact science?’’ Stiles wondered.

‘’I doubt it. You still haven’t told me how to approach Lydia Martin.’’ Scott suddenly added in an accusing manner.

‘’Uh, sorry, do i look like [Cher Horowitz](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clueless_\(film\))? I’m not a matchmaker, dude.’’

‘’Can’t you at least tell me if i have a chance with her?’’

Greenberg turned her head to look at a table at the far corner. Stiles finally connected the name with the face and understood that they were talking about the girl he had seen last night. She was sitting with an older woman, probably her mother. While the woman kept on talking, Lydia seemed to have shut her out. The girl was just staring straight ahead; her cold, blue eyes unmoving and her face holding no expression. Stiles found it very strange that his friend, the most lively, positive person he knew, liked someone like Lydia Martin. He almost told him that but when he saw the look of awe and admiration that Scott was directing at the girl, he decided the comment would be needless.

‘’I don’t know, Scott.’’ Greenberg said after a while. ‘’I mean... anyone could have a chance with anyone. But this girl...’’ She turned to look at his friend. Her cheerful demeanor had been replaced with a dimmer, melancholic one. ‘’It feels...It’s like she had already found her perfect match and now...it’s gone.’’

Greenberg’s voice cracked as she spoke the last words and it made Stiles wonder if she could actually sense the loss. Probably; Stiles thought as he watched the girl wipe her eyes which were filling up with tears.

* * *

When the sun came down it was time to say goodbye to Melissa. Watching his friend part with his mother was absolutely heartbreaking. She had travelled all the way there so that she could have him only for one day.

Stiles made sure that Melissa would tell his dad that he loved him and that he would be okay. He wasn’t sure when he was going to be able to tell him himself. He hoped soon.

‘’Are you feeling okay, bro?’’ Stiles asked Scott on their way back to the dorm.  Unless there was a special occasion, students had to be back to the dorms by ten. Stiles didn’t know how serious this policy was since he had seen two of the academy’s students running around in the middle of the night the moment he set his foot at the grounds of this school.

‘’Yeah… i guess.’’ Scott said with a sad smile. ‘’I’m just worried about her. I was ready for the chasing and moving around thing to stop long before we came to Beacon Hills but… I was scared at the thought of leaving her alone.’’

‘’She’s not alone. My dad will take care of her.’’ Stiles was going to demand it. ‘’Not that she needs to be taken care of but still...They will have each other.’’

‘’Maybe next time they’ll visit together.’’  The thought seemed to cheer Scott up.

They stayed awake until two in the morning playing Minecraft and eating the goodies Melissa had brought for Scott. They slipped under the covers content, the melancholy almost forgotten. At three a.m. Stiles woke up.

There were voices coming from the corridor outside; it sounded like a heated argument was going on. Under any other circumstances Stiles would have ignored it and gone back to sleep. Not now though. Now Stiles happened to recognize one of the voices.

He tiptoed barefoot across the room and carefully opened the door, drawing the door handle down as quietly as possible. Looking through the crack, his suspicions were confirmed; Derek Hale was right outside arguing with a girl. Stiles could only see her back. She had raven black hair that were reaching down at her waist. She was wearing the academy uniform but she had shortened the skirt and she had combined it with thigh high, black socks.

‘’You are losing your mind if you think i’m gonna let you drag her into this operation.’’ Derek said to the girl. ‘’Are you forgetting what happened during the last one?’’

‘’Uh, no? We messed up and _everyone_ got hurt. Every single one of us. Do you see _us_ getting any special privileges? No.’’

‘’It’s not the same with Lydia.’’ He replied as if the other girl was stupid for not getting it. ‘’You know she has not been well since...’’

‘’I know, Derek! I fucking know.’’ The girl interrupted him. ‘’It’s not like _he_ has let us forget it. We all have to be careful not to hurt his fragile, little princess. But this time it’s his orders and she can’t say no.’’

‘’Okay. I’m going with then.’’ He said with finality.

‘’No. He has something else in mind for you. _I_ am going with her.’’

Derek’s jaw tightened and he exhaled through his nose.

‘’If you let anything happen to her...’’

The girl chuckled and moved closer to Derek.

‘’Should i be insulted that you don’t trust me enough? I mean...you and me… We had some good times together.’’

‘’Yes… Because you mindfucked me you manipulative...’’ She placed her hand upon his lips before he could finish his sentence.

‘’Shhh...’’ Her hand moved from his mouth to the side of his neck. ‘’You better not say something that you can’t take back and will very probably piss me off. Not when you know what i can do to you.’’ Her grip tightened on his throat. ‘’Not when i can make your guilt burn your heart out.’’

‘’Jennifer, please...’’ Derek begged. His eyes suddenly widened and he let out a desperate whine.

‘’Not when i can make your grief rip you apart.’’  

Tears started streaming down Derek’s face.

‘’Not when i can turn your pain into mind-crippling sorrow.’’ She said, pressing him against the nearest wall; her hand still around his throat.

Stiles’ heart was beating insanely fast with fear. At first, he felt like when you are in a nightmare and it is simply impossible for you to move but at some point he found himself straddling towards them without even thinking about it.

‘’Stop!’’He screamed. ‘’I said stop it! Let him go!’’

The girl turned to look at him. Derek though didn’t even seem to notice him, having dissolved into sobs.

Jennifer just grinned crookedly and turned to lock eyes with Derek.

‘’I don’t think so.’’

‘’I will report you to the school administration.’’ Stiles said, trying to sound confident. ‘’I will have you expelled.’’

The girl laughed at that. ‘’I wish.’’

‘’I said stop, you bitch!’’ He cried and reached out to pull her hand away from Derek.

Unexpectedly, he felt her grip relax. Derek seemed to gradually calm down too. He leaned his head back to the wall and breathed deeply in relief.

Jennifer seemed to be in a loss.

‘’Who the hell are you?’’ She asked Stiles.

‘’Uh… No one. I mean… Stiles.’’ He himself was in loss too. Had he just used his alice? ‘’I’m… We’re friends.’’

She snorted. ‘’With Derek? I truly doubt it. But i know someone who will be very happy to be your friend. Right, Derek?’’

Derek simply glared at her and she turned to leave after throwing him an amused look.    

The boy’s knees didn’t seem to hold him and he slipped down against the wall. Stiles crouched beside him,trying to check if he was okay.

‘’Hey...Derek...’’ He reached to touch him comfortingly on the shoulder. ‘’Is...Are you alright? What did she...’’

‘’NO!’’ Derek cried suddenly, slapping Stiles’ hand away. ‘’Don’t...don’t touch me.’’

Stiles winced at the pain. ‘’I didn’t see that coming.’’ He managed to croak.

‘’Sorry… I have to go.’’ The boy scrambled to get up and then all but ran away from Stiles.

Stiles went back to his room to find Scott awake, pacing the room up and down frantically.

‘’What the hell were you thinking!’’ He yelled the moment Stiles walked in.

‘’Are you referring to...’’ Stiles asked, pointing to the door.

‘’I’m referring to the fact that you put yourself in the middle of a dispute between fucking Derek Hale and Jennifer Blake of all people. Do you even know how badly this could have turn out?’’

‘’Was i supposed to leave him helpless?’’ Stiles was confused. His friend wasn’t one to turn away when somebody needed his help.

‘’Yes! When two people from the Dangerous Abilities Class are in the middle of a fight, you leave them the fuck alone!’’

‘’Dangerous what?’’

‘’Did you see the jewels they were covered with?’’ And yes, Stiles had noticed from his first meeting with Derek. ‘’They’re there to contain their power and they’re obviously not doing a good job with it. They’re not safe to be around, Stiles.’’

‘’Wait...Isn’t your Lydia wearing all sorts of ornaments too? Isn’t _she_ like them?’’ Stiles asked kind of angry that Scott seemed to have double standards.

‘’ Lydia is nothing like them! Lydia didn’t burn her whole town to the ground before she came here!’’ He said, shocking Stiles to his very core.

‘’Derek?’’

‘’Yes. Derek.’’

* * *

Two periods into his first school day at the academy, Stiles had to admit that he couldn’t spot any significant differences from his actual classes back home. Chemistry was just good, old chemistry. The only two things that happened to actually remind him he was surrounded by supernatural people was when Greenberg stepped between two students quarrelling, yelling ‘’now kiss’’ and when another student materialized out of nowhere at a desk next to him. He had been missing for two days; accidental time-traveller apparently.

Thankfully, he managed to skip out of next period’s History because he was told to go to the library to take the books required for his ‘’special’’ classes.

He was waiting at the counter for the librarian to come back with his list when he heard people whispering behind him. He turned and was surprised to see Derek and Lydia a few meters away. They were looking at him and Lydia seemed to be pushing Derek to his direction.

Stiles pulse skyrocketed. He didn’t know how to act around Derek; not after what Scott told him.

Derek took a deep breath and walked towards him. Lydia kept watching.

‘’Hey.’’ The boy said hesitantly. ‘’ I wanted to say...I mean,yesterday i forgot to thank you. So...thank you.’’ He turned to look at Lydia who threw him a threatening glare and signed with her hand for him to go on.

‘’I’m sorry if i hurt you.’’ He continued. ‘’It’s just...’’

‘’It’s fine. It was nothing.’’ Stiles said quickly.

Derek frowned. ‘’No, no. It wasn’t nothing. It was wrong. But i was really overwhelmed and...uh… it was safer for you to not be close to me.’’

So it was true. Derek _was_ dangerous to be around.

‘’I should have explained probably.’’ He added since Stiles remained silent. It was starting to feel even more uncomfortable than before. ‘’So...are we okay?’’ He extended his hand, obviously to initiate a handshake.

Stiles reached out to take his hand but he hesitated; their fingers were almost brushing but Stiles couldn’t bring himself to touch Derek. He watched as realization took over the boy’s expression.

‘’Are you...scared of me?’’

‘’Shouldn’t i be?’’ Stiles found himself asking.

Derek’s expression went in seconds from hurtful to completely vacant.

‘’Yes. You probably should.’’ He said and walked away.

‘’Are you a complete idiot?’’ Lydia said as she approached him angrily. This was the most of emotion he had seen her expressing till now. ‘’What the hell was that about?’’

‘’What?’’ He replied defensively. ‘’I’m not allowed to be afraid? ‘’

‘’Of Derek?’’ She asked as if it was the most preposterous thing she had ever heard.

‘’Did you miss the part where he happens to possess a _Dangerous_ ability? Oh wait… you didn’t because you’re part of that little club too. I mean, i’m new around here but when i hear the word dangerous, it usually doesn’t bode well.’’

‘’You’re an idiot and whoever’s been informing you is a bigger idiot. You think that by dangerous they mean we’re a danger to society?’’

‘’Then to _whom_?’’

‘’To ourselves you freaking moron! You can go on with your life using your alice without it having any consequences on you. But our alices? They can destroy us. They’re killing us slowly day by day.’’

‘’Derek...’’ Stiles only managed to say, the guilt forming a lump in his throat.

‘’Yes. Derek.’’ She said quietly, looking sadly to the direction where Derek had left.

* * *

**Notes:**

**-This is the point where i should probably tell you there WON’T be a major character death. It will be a happy ending.**

**-I have altered Lydia’s appearance to match her alice. She has white highlights and Beta blue eyes; in case you didn’t notice.**

**-I don’t know if any of that was confusing. If so, feel free to ask anything.**

**-Till next Sunday :)**

****  
  
  
  
  



	4. The Alice Stones

Stiles wanted to concentrate on what Professor Morrell was saying; he really did. This was his first class of the day that had anything to do with how to channel his alice and use it in productive ways but the only thing that Stiles had in mind was getting out of there and finding Derek.  He felt like he had done something terribly wrong and he had to fix it. Not that he was completely unjustifiable. He was very well aware that Derek had tried to use his power on him the first night they met and even Derek  didn’t seem to trust himself around people when  his emotions were out of hand.That of course didn’t mean that Stiles had the right to make him even more hesitant about getting close to someone. Thinking how nervous the guy looked when he approached him to say he was sorry, made Stiles want to hit his head on the desk from mortification.

Stiles kept throwing murderous looks at Scott’s way. The way his friend talked about the Dangerous Abilities Class, he had made it seem like a cult. Stiles kept imagining them dancing naked in the forest and sacrificing virgins on the night of the full moon. Well… that psycho in mini skirts,Jennifer could; Jennifer _did_ probably. What Lydia told him though made him think that the class was most likely just a bunch of kids whose powers had more control on them than the opposite. He could see the group being created to teach those in possession of such alices how to manage them without it hurting them. Of course, the discussion he had heard between Derek and Jennifer left him with the feeling that maybe someone was exploiting them instead of helping them.

Maybe that’s why Derek was trying to run away. Stiles couldn’t think of any other reason since life at the Academy didn’t seem to be so unbearable.

He had to find out. He had to…

‘’Stiles!’’ He heard someone exclaiming above his head, causing him to return to reality. He looked up and saw Morrell staring at him expectantly with raised eyebrows.

‘’What?’’

‘’Do you understand everything i said?’’ She asked slowly. ‘’I understand you’re new to this so i don’t expect you to manage it at the first go. Just give it a try, okay?’’

Stiles nodded yes even though he had a very vague idea about what she was talking about.

‘’And remember...’’ She continued. ‘’... your alice stone is a physical representation of your power. You keep it safe. You always keep it close.’’

‘’Oh...oh yeah.’’ Stiles finally caught up. They were supposed to be using their power to make stones. He didn’t understand how this would work exactly but Morrell said they would contain their alice and that they could end up being from very weak to awfully powerful.

Stiles looked around to see everyone concentrating really hard on materializing their stones. Some made it fairly quickly and produced beautiful stones of various colors and shapes. Others, like Scott, did make it at some point but their stones weren’t of as clear colors and they were shaped weirdly. Stiles himself didn’t even know how to release his alice so he had no idea where to begin.

He clasped his hands together and tried to imagine what his alice would be; what it would look like.  He started thinking of it as running water. At first it was a creek with green, shallow waters and then it started growing and growing. It gradually turned into a gushing, thundering body of water that  covered and drowned everything in its way. Still… none of that felt as when he had stopped Jennifer from using her power on Derek.

Suddenly he understood. His alice could not exist without another.

He closed his eyes and thought again of his alice. He thought of it as a great river joining with a storm; turning big and angry, breaking dams and flooding everything around it. Only this time it was heading somewhere; towards a  huge fire. The second the water clashed with the flames, Stiles could feel the energy surging through his body. He could feel it releasing itself and leaving him numb and lighter.

He looked down at his palms to see how it had turned out. He groaned in frustration when he saw a barely there, tiny gemstone in the color of aquamarine. It had certainly felt a lot more intense than that.

It took him a few minutes to understand that the class was almost empty. There was only Scott and Greenberg sitting at the desks beside him and a couple of students who were just getting out of the door.

‘’I’m gonna guess it took me a bit longer than expected.’’ Stiles said.

‘’First time, dude.’’ Scott replied, standing up and patting him on the shoulder. ‘’Wanna go eat now? I’m starving.’’

‘’Yeah, sure. Greenberg, are you coming?’’ He turned to look at the girl who was staring at her bright fuchsia stone thoughtfully.

‘’Do you think i should give it to the Coach?’’ She asked.

‘’Why would you do that?’’ Stiles said, frowning in confusion. ‘’Morrell said we were to keep them safe.’’

Scott sighed. ‘’It’s an Alice Academy myth.’’ He explained. ‘’ Supposedly people exchanging [alice stones ](http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/21800000/With-your-alice-stone-you-are-mine-natsume-and-mikan-gakuen-alice-21809773-728-1090.jpg)are meant to be or something like that.’’

Stiles snorted. ‘’Exchanging alice stones? What are we twelve?’’

Greenberg tightened her grip around the stone. ‘’I don’t think you understand how big part of your self your alice is. Giving it to someone… It’s important. It means trust...commitment.’’

Stiles looked down at his stone. She was right. He didn’t know why or how but the thought of losing that tiny part of his alice made it hard for him to breath. He wouldn’t give it to just anyone.

Only the right one.

* * *

During lunch hour Stiles kept looking around the dining hall hoping to spot Derek but he didn’t seem to be there. He thought that maybe he should try after midnight; he seemed to have better luck then.

‘’Stiles, is everything okay?’’ Scott asked. Stiles had barely spoken for the last hour and his food was still in his plate, untouched.

‘’Nothing goes down.’’ His throat felt thick with guilt.

‘’Did you apologize yet?’’ A voice said from behind him. A tray almost empty of anything but garden salad with blue cheese dressing was put with a clang on the table. He turned to see Lydia settling right by his side.

Scott’s eyes widened in shock as he took in the image.

‘’L-Lydia?’’ He managed to spell out.

Lydia looked at him curiously.

‘’Do i know you?’’ She asked, studying his face. ‘’Oh, yeah. You’re the guy always sitting at the table next to mine at the library.’’

‘’Coincidence.’’ Scott replied, blushing.

‘’And you were sitting right behind me at movie night. You offered me popcorn.’’ She added.

‘’Oh...that was you?’’ His friend asked. He was going for indifference; it didn’t work. ‘’I’m...i’m Scott by the way.’’

‘’Always glad to meet fans.’’ She said coldly and once again turned her attention to Stiles. ‘’So did you see him? Did you apologize?’’

‘’Do you _see_ him anywhere around here? How am i supposed to apologize?’’

‘’To whom?’’ Scott asked but he didn’t receive an answer.

‘’Huh...’’ Lydia said, searching around the room. ‘’Yeah...you probably scared him away and he went to hide in a dark corner or something. He’s socially inept like that.’’

‘’I scared him away?’’ Stiles repeated incredulously. ‘’Lydia, let’s not exaggerate here. Yes. I was kind of an asshole while the guy was just trying to be nice but he got insulted _way_ too easily for someone who’s been trying to make me piss my pants since the second we met. I just had ONE. One moment of hesitation and i’m suddenly the bad guy?’’

He knew that he was acting defensively. He knew that this was not what it was all about. And of course, Lydia called him out on that.

‘’Stiles, Derek didn’t leave because he was insulted. He left because he agreed with you. We have powers that we can barely control. Of course, we’re afraid we might hurt someone. _All_ the time. So it doesn’t really help when one like us gathers the courage to actually engage with someone and are looked at with fear. I mean...I wouldn’t care. Inspiring fear is my lifestyle. Derek cares though. He doesn’t want to be alone and yet he believes he should be...’’

‘’Are we talking about Derek Hale?’’ Scott finally concluded. ‘’Like… Dangerous Abilities Class’ Derek Hale?’’

‘’Why? Do you have a specific problem with the Dangerous Abilities Class?’’ Lydia asked, looking at him threateningly.  

 ‘’Yeah. I mean...No. Not everyone. But everyone’s heard the stories about Derek.’’

‘’ _I_ could tell you stories about Derek. Stories that would make you weep with joy that you’re safely cocooned in this academy while he’s out there risking his life.But i think i’ll let you enjoy your ignorance.’’

Lydia got on her feet. ‘’Stiles, come with me. I have an idea where Derek might be.’’

Stiles made to stand up but Scott reached across the table and grabbed him from the wrist. ‘’Is there a particular reason you’re so insistent on Stiles socializing with Hale?’’

She rolled her eyes. ‘’Duh.’’

‘’Which is?’’ Scott asked her to elaborate.

‘’His alice obviously.’’

* * *

He found Derek five minutes into the hiking trail that was among the cherry blossoms behind the Elementary School. One could still hear the voices of children running around; screaming, yelling, laughing.Stiles would very much like to know who had managed to create such an astonishing beauty in the middle of a forest of the north.

He was talking about the trees of course and not about Derek who was sitting with his back against an old trunk, reading Isaac Asimov and stuffing his face with liquor filled chocolates. The box was almost empty.

‘’What are you doing here?’’ The boy asked, almost choking as he tried to swallow two chocolates together.

‘’I came to say i’m sorry...For before.’’

‘’Lydia made you.’’ It wasn’t even a question.

Stiles let out a little laugh. ‘’She explained to me some stuff that i was ignorant about. She seems to be very protective of you.’’

‘’We’ve...been through a lot.’’ He replied quietly.

‘’I think she just wants you to have friends.’’

‘’I don’t wanna be friends with you.’’

‘’Acquaintances?  Exchanging news once or twice a week?’’

Derek huffed in annoyance. He stood up and strided towards Stiles who was leaning against the opposite tree.

‘’Let me guess. Lydia told you things like that our alices are a burden. That we’re the poor children walking around like ticking time-bombs. That we need a friend to hold our hand and cry with us but no one does because we look shady as fuck. And then you decided to be the good samaritan that will reach out to the less fortunate than him.’’

His lips formed a smug smirk and he crossed his arms, waiting for an answer.

‘’O...kay.So you find it impossible that i was charmed by your sparkling personality?’’ Derek glared at him. ‘’Fair enough.’’

‘’So are you leaving me alone?’’

‘’No, dude. I ‘ll just have to be more persistent. I can do persistent.’’ Stiles replied, giving him a playful smile.

‘’Shocking.’’ The boy said mockingly.

Suddenly it got too quiet. The voices of the children stopped abruptly. Stiles and Derek turned their heads when they heard the sound of steps on dead leaves. A minute later Jennifer appeared on the path. A tall, black haired man was following right behind her. It took some time for Stiles to make him out properly. He was wearing a white mask and several other accessories as Scott had told him people from the Dangerous Abilities Class wore. But he wasn’t young enough to be a student. He seemed to be in his early thirties.

His skin was sickly and pale, his lips thin and cyanotic. With his long black coat he looked exactly how Stiles would have imagined an Angel of Death to be.

‘’Exactly the guy we were hoping to find.’’ Jennifer said, grinning. ‘’Persona...’’She told the man. ‘’This is Hale’s friend that i was talking to you about.’’

The man turned his attention to Stiles but Derek stood in front him, hiding him.

‘’He’s not my friend. He’s just a stupid, ignorant kid and he’s leaving.’’

The man simply smiled.

‘’What’s your name, child?’’ He asked Stiles.

‘’None of your business, Persona.’’ Derek said before Stiles could answer. ‘’Go back to your mouldy basement so that the children can get out of their hiding places.’’

Persona didn’t lose his smile. He walked closer to Derek and dragged his long, black nails across the boy’s face. Derek was trying to put up a brave face but Stiles could feel that he was scared.

‘’Are you telling me what to do now?’’ He said in a whispery voice. ‘’Did you pick up somewhere the notion that we’re equals, Derek? Do you think just because you’re valuable to me, i will hesitate punishing you? Have i ever?’’

Derek let out a gasp of horror when the man dug his nails into the flesh of his neck. The veins on the one side of his face started turning black; his eyes widened and burned bright red. Stiles took half a step as to go and help him but Derek looked at him in panic and tried to nod no. Stiles understood.

Derek didn’t want Stiles to use his alice in front of that man.

The boy’s face had bleached of all color before Persona let him fall on the ground.

‘’We’ll meet again.’’ He told Stiles before he continued further into the forest with Jennifer who seemed terribly amused.

Derek looked up at him; his eyes still red. His hands kept getting engulfed in little, orange flames every few seconds and it didn’t seem like Derek knew how to stop it.

‘’Let me help you.’’ Stiles offered but Derek shook his head frantically and dragged his body further away.

‘’No!Stay away.’’ He looked down on his hands, concentrating to make the fire stop but failing.

‘’Hey...’’ Stiles continued incredibly calm, surprising even himself. ‘’It’s okay. Let me help you.’’

He dropped on his knees right in front of Derek. He reached out and touched the side of his neck where the black veins were just starting to disappear. Before the boy could move away from his touch, Stiles leaned forward and wrapped his hands tightly around him.

‘’Stiles, don’t...’’

‘’No, it’s okay. It’s okay.’’ Stiles said, not letting go. ‘’ You won’t hurt me. You can’t.’’

Stiles stayed like that for several minutes. He waited...and waited. And then it happened.

Derek hugged him back.

* * *

**Notes:**

**-Yes, i like to torture my characters. What gave me away?**

**-Hopefully people with no knowledge of the universe are still following the story easily. I truly hope so.**

**-I didn’t match Persona with sb from the TW universe because no one seemed like the right fit. I don’t know what you think.**

**-See you next Sunday!**

****  
  
  



	5. The Second Alice

Lydia and Scott found them one hour later.

Stiles couldn’t be sure about what the Persona guy had done to Derek and what exactly was his alice but he had left him in the verge of unconsciousness. The moment Derek wrapped his arms around Stiles’ waist, he collapsed against him, causing Stiles to have a mini freak out. A wave of relief came over him when he felt Derek breathing steadily against the bare spot of his shoulder from where his t-shirt had been pulled aside. He dragged the boy along with him till the nearest tree. Stiles sat so that the trunk would support his back and with Derek between his legs; chest to back.

The boy would wake up every few minutes but only for a while. He wouldn’t say a word. He would turn his head to look at Stiles and squeeze his hand as if to make sure that Stiles would stay there; that he would not leave him behind. It almost felt like the first night they met. For some reason, Stiles concluded, he was always around when Derek was in trouble. Either Stiles had terrible timing or Derek didn’t seem to catch a break.

Everytime Derek would close his eyes again, Stiles would whisper in his ear that he’s not going anywhere and he would feel the boy’s grip on his hand loosen.  

He almost cried tears of joy when he saw his friend and Lydia approach. They seemed to be arguing for some reason but the moment they saw Stiles and Derek they stopped and ran to their side.

‘’What happened?’’ Lydia asked as she crouched in front of them to check on Derek.

‘’What happened, Lydia, is that i’ve been in this place for tops three days and they were enough to realize that something is pretty fucked up around here. I have a feeling you and Derek might be hanging out with the wrong crowd.’’

‘’Persona.’’ She said as she touched the little,black scars at the spot where Persona’s nails had dug in.

‘’ _Yes_ , that creeper. What is his alice anyway?’’

‘’The mark of death.’’  She replied unnaturally calmly. She used her alice to produce a small column of ice and press it on Derek’s face.  t must be soothing since it was only expected that Derek would run pretty hot due to his power.

‘’What?’’ Stiles asked, suddenly alarmed. ‘’Is… is Derek okay? Should we take him to someone?’’

‘’No, no one. And you won’t tell anyone about this either. He’s going to be fine.’’

‘’But...Lydia, he’s not waking up.’’

Lydia smirked at that.

‘’He’s awake alright. He’s been for a while.’’

‘’No, i’ve not!’’ Derek protested and then groaned for having exposed himself.

Stiles started laughing. ‘’Dude, if you wanted to cuddle, you could’ve just said so.’’

‘’Shut up!’’ Derek said and made to stand up but he couldn’t without help. ‘’I was just...I was saving my energy.’’

‘’Sure you were.’’ Lydia agreed obviously amused. ‘’Now that you’re all re-energized, let’s take you back at the dorms.’’

Both Stiles and Lydia helped Derek get on his feet.

‘’I can take it from here.’’ She said, putting Derek’s arm around her shoulders so that he would lean on her.

‘’Uh...okay. Do you plan to explain to us what happened?’’ Stiles asked.

‘’Lydia, no.’’ Derek told his friend. They had already started to walk away.

Lydia turned to look at Stiles. ‘’Maybe another time, Stiles. It’s not like we’re going anywhere any time soon.’’

Stiles watched them leave in companionable silence. He would really like to know how these two ended up befriending each other.

‘’Do things ever calm down around here?’’ Stiles asked Scott  who was just watching curiously all this time.

Scott simply shrugged.‘’I don’t know, dude. Things were pretty fucking calm before you came here.’’

‘’Good to know.’’ Stiles said as they themselves started heading back to the dorms.

‘’So… how exactly do you know Derek?’’

‘’He was in the welcoming committee when i first came at the Academy.’’ Stiles replied jokingly.  

‘’Huh?’’

‘’Eh...nothing. We don’t really know each other. He’s just...around.’’ He couldn’t find  a better way to explain his and Derek’s situation. ‘’So...how’s it going between you and Lydia?’’

‘’Well...She’s talking to me now so that’s good. Of course she thinks i’m a total jerkface that is feeding you lies about Derek and standing in the way of her plans to see you and him happily together so...that’s not so good.’’

‘’What are you talking about. Lydia isn’t trying to...’’

‘’Yeah, yeah...Whatever, dude.’’

‘’Can i ask...’’ Stiles started hesitantly. ‘’...why is it that you like her? She doesn’t seem to be the easiest of people.’’

‘’And Derek is?’’

‘’I don’t understand the point of this comparison.’’

‘’Ugh, okay. I don’t know what to tell you. I mean, obviously she’s smart and beautiful but...that’s not the whole thing. It was...a feeling that i got since i first saw her.’’

‘’Fear?’’ Stiles suggested.

Scott chuckled. ‘’No. She was sad. She’s always sad. And i felt...that i could make her happy. I _want_ to make her happy.’’

* * *

For the next week or so Stiles  didn’t get to speak with Derek.Sometimes he would share a word or two with Lydia since they had some classes together but she wasn’t in a very sociable mood. From what Greenberg had heard, Lydia wasn’t always that unapproachable. There was a time when she was extremely popular; one would always find her in the center of attention, many students competing to become if not her friend, her minion. Whatever might have happened to her, it was over a year ago and yet Lydia hadn’t recovered from it.

He _had_ seen Derek around of course, but the boy hadn’t even nodded at him in acknowledgement. He was just staring at him from afar and then pretended that he didn’t the moment Stiles eyes met his. One time, during lunch hour, he saw Derek sitting alone at a table far from his and Scott’s.  Stiles wasn’t planning on doing anything stupid and pointless like ask him to join them but then a whole group of people from the Dangerous Abilities Class went to sit next to the boy. There was Jennifer, a bunch of seniors like Jackson Whittemore and Danny Mahealani  and a set of triplets from elementary school with a striking resemblance to Wednesday Addams. Jennifer was sitting uncomfortably close to Derek who seemed to be wishing himself to apparate. Stiles thought it was only polite to save him from yet another difficult situation so he started walking towards his table with the purpose of taking him away from there. The moment Derek noticed him walking to his direction, he stood up abruptly and left the dining hall in no time.

Stiles was getting really tired of this.

Thankfully, later that day, something happened to better his mood; he was allowed his first phone call. The second his classes ended, he ran straight to the dorms. He had his own room now; a replica of his room back home, as expected. He pressed the code that he was given on the phone that was standing on his desk and after only two rings a cheerful voice responded from the other line.

‘’Hello there!Is this room 121, Stiles Stilinski?’’ The woman asked.

‘’Yes, this is me.’’

‘’Who would you like us to connect you with?’’

‘’Uh...my dad? There is only one person at my contacts’ list.’’

‘’Well, we can also connect you to other rooms. Oh! And we have a 24-hour, help hotline.’’

‘’Good to know. For now just give me my father, please.’’

‘’Right away, love.’’  The phone went back to ringing. Stiles was scared at first that his father wouldn’t pick up. When he finally heard his father’s voice, his heart almost leaped out of his chest.

‘’Dad?’’ He said hesitantly.

‘’Stiles! Oh my God, finally! I’ve been losing my mind, kiddo. Are you okay?’’

Stiles had to swallow back tears in order to answer. He hadn’t fully realized till now the kind of impact him leaving might have had on his father; his father who was now completely alone.

‘’I’m fine. Great. I...Dad… i’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking...’’

‘’It’s okay...it’s okay. As long as you’re fine.’’

‘’No, no...It’s not okay. I just...I didn’t know. I thought i would come over here, see Scott and then i’d come back to you. You, of course ,would have me grounded till i went to college and you know... end of story.’’

His father laughed at that halfhearted.

‘’And that’s exactly what’s happening when we get you out of there.’’

‘’Dad...i told you i’m doing fine. It’s not so bad here. A bit strange but not bad. And what do you mean we?’’

His father was silent for a while.

‘’Your mother and I.’’ He said finally.

For a few seconds, Stiles stopped breathing.

‘’You...you found mom?’’

‘’No. Not yet. But i will and we will come for you.’’

‘’Dad, mom doesn’t want to be found.’’ It was time his father understood this.

‘’I don’t give a damn what your mother wants, Stiles.’’ The Sheriff replied ,surprising Stiles. ‘’She’s the only one who knows how to find you so i’m finding _her_ either she likes it or not. I don’t know much about that Alice Academy but Claudia kept telling me we had to keep you away from there and that’s exactly what i’m doing.’’

‘’She...Mom knew i was an alice? Did she go here too?’’ Stiles was trying hard not to care but the thought of having that kind of connection with his mother was bringing back a long lost and yet familiar warmth.

‘’Yeah… She was a student there. I thought you’d have found out by now. I think...she was quite in the center of things when she was at that place.’’

This is how Stiles found himself once again at the Academy’s Library looking through a bunch of yearbooks, seeking his mother among the graduates. He had been looking for over an hour though with no results and he was getting frustrated. One of the librarians on duty must have noticed and came to sit next to him.

She was a young woman in her thirties with dyed red hair, tied in a messy bun, and pale blue eyes framed by a pair of thick glasses. Stiles had noticed her looking at him strangely from the moment he asked about the location of the yearbooks.

‘’Hello.’’ She said, smiling widely. ‘’I’m Amelia Crane.Are you looking for something in particular? Can i help?’’

‘’It’s...It’s stupid really.’’  Stiles said. ‘’I’m just trying to find...My mother used to go here. I’m sure of it. But there’s nothing about her in the books. No photo...no mention… Nothing.’’

The woman looked at the yearbook in Stiles’ hands and her smile widened even more.

‘’That is the year i graduated so i can definitely help you out with that. What is her name?’’

‘’Claudia Rhodes.’’

Her brow furrowed in confusion.

‘’Rhodes? We had two Claudias but Rhodes doesn’t ring a bell...’’ She started to say but then she stopped; her eyes widened in recognition as she _really_ looked at him. ‘’Are you... Stiles?’’

‘’Uh...yeah? Do i know you?’’

She shook her head. ‘’You’re Claudia’s son.’’ She said as if it wasn’t apparent already.

‘’So...You _did_ know her.’’

Amelia reached out and held his hand between hers. It made him a tiny bit uncomfortable but he took it because the woman was obviously getting emotional. Stiles could tell she was barely holding back her tears.

‘’We were friends. Good friends.’’ She added. ‘’She sent me a photo of you once. You were just four or five at the time but...I could tell. From the second you entered the library i knew that i’d seen you before.’’

‘’You never came to visit?’’

‘’No. I wanted to but i couldn’t.’’

‘’That’s a pitty. She could have used a friend or two. Beacon Hills...my hometown… never seemed to be a very good fit for her. Maybe that’s why...’’ Stiles stopped himself before he gave away his whole family history to a stranger. ‘’So...what about the yearbook?’’ He asked instead.

‘’Oh. Well… Claudia never graduated from the Academy. She left us long before that actually.’’

‘’She just left? I didn’t know that was possible.’’

‘’Things were more complicated back then. She had to leave. It was better for her that way.’’

‘’You stayed though. Till now.’’

‘’Yeah...I was always saying i would leave at some point but...i never could. Being here...it made me feel closer to my brother. He was a teacher here.’’

‘’Where is he now?’’  Stiles asked even though he could tell by the broken tone in Amelia’s voice.

‘’ He died. A few months before your mom left school. They were close too.’’

‘’Yeah?’’

She nodded. ‘’She was his favorite student. He...he would have liked you too.’’ She hesitantly let go off his hand and stood up. ‘’I better go back to work. Marissa is giving me weird looks and i...i’ve upsetted you enough with my trip down memory lane.’’

‘’No, no. It was fine. I hope you and my mother will get to meet again.’’

‘’Yeah, me too.’’ She said with a sad, yet hopeful smile. She turned to leave but then Stiles was reminded.

‘’Miss Crane!’’ He called and she stopped to look at him questioningly.

‘’Yes, Stiles?’’

‘’What was my mother’s alice? You must know, right?’’

‘’You don’t?’’ She asked, obviously surprised.

‘’No. I haven’t heard from her in quite some time.’’ He replied truthfully.

‘’Oh...It was the nullification alice. Very rare. Very powerful.’’

* * *

Stiles found himself overwhelmed by the flow of information about his mother’s past. He had been struggling for years to erase her presence from his mind, to learn not to need her.Now he could see that he had failed. He still missed her. He still needed her. It was a comforting thought to know that he and his mother shared the same alice; that he still held a piece of her.

The late afternoon found him wandering around the grounds of the Academy trying to re-organize his mind. He desperately wanted to talk with Scott  but he was doing some extra hours at the school’s research labs. So he walked and walked until his steps took him to the big lake next to the east wall where the younger kids were having their swim practice. Ηe sat on the wooden dock and watched the children learning how to do front crawl. His mother had tried to teach him too but swimming was never his strong suit.

He wondered if his mother leaving had anything to do with the Academy. He also wanted to know if she felt happy or proud that he had inherited her alice. He reached into the pocket of his uniform jacket to take his alice stone into his hand. He stared at the little, blue thing and tried to imagine how his mother’s would look. It would definitely be bigger and much prettier; his was so small and awkward looking.

‘’Are you okay?’’ He heard someone say.He turned to see Derek standing right behind him.

‘’Oh! Be still my fragile heart!’’ He exclaimed, clutching at his chest mockingly. ‘’Derek Hale has stopped ignoring me.’’

Derek huffed exasperatedly and nudged him with his knee. ‘’I’m not ignoring you, Stiles.’’

‘’Uh...you haven’t spoken to me for a week?’’

‘’Have you thought it might be better this way?’’

‘’No.’’ Stiles said and he heard Derek laugh quietly. The boy came to sit next to him; their thighs and shoulders touching.

‘’Well, it is. Trust me. But since you have helped me a time or two, i couldn’t just pass by you when i saw you sitting here, wallowing in misery.’’

‘’I’m touched.’’ Stiles replied on full sarcastic mode and patted Derek on the back. It was only a soft pat and yet Derek hissed like in pain. ‘’I barely touched you, dude. Is there something wrong with your back?’’

‘’No, it’s nothing.’’ Derek quickly said but Stiles just rolled his eyes.

‘’Will you show me or do i have to rip your shirt off?’’

The boy seemed to be considering it for a while but then he sighed in resignation and lifted his shirt. The upper part of his back, right where Stiles had touched him, was covered by white gauze. Stiles gently raised the gauze and a recently beaten tattoo revealed itself. The skin around the ink was still irritated.

‘’It’s a triskelion.’’ Derek explained.

‘’What’s it for?’’

‘’Control.’’

‘’I thought the earrings and the cuffs  were doing that job.’’

‘’They weren’t enough.’’

‘’Sorry.’’ Stiles said, not knowing how else to respond. Derek just shrugged and tugged his shirt down.

‘’What were you looking at before?’’ He asked, obviously trying to change the conversation.

‘’Oh...It’s just my alice stone. My first one really, so it’s nothing special.’’ Stiles said, opening his left palm to reveal the stone.

‘’Can i?’’ Derek asked, opening his own palm to receive it.

Stiles nodded and placed the stone carefully on Derek’’s palm. Before he knew what was happening the little stone shined bright blue and dug itself into Derek’s skin who seemed as surprised as Stiles.

‘’What the fuck?’’ He exclaimed, taking Derek’s hand into his and looking at it inquisitively.  

‘’I...I have no idea what just happened.’’ The boy said, flexing his wrist. ‘’Are you...do you have another alice?’’

‘’No.’’ Stiles replied almost defensively.

‘’Well...are you sure?’’

‘’No.’’

* * *

**Notes:**

* * *

**\- Yes, i know. This is coming a day late. I don’t have any excuses. I just finished my exams and i wanted to spend the weekend at the beach. That’ it :)**

**-For those who have read the manga: I know Yuka (so Claudia) is not the one supposed to have the nullification alice. In the beginning i was planning on having her own both alices (you know which) but in the process i added a plot point i wasn’t going to use (i think you’re suspecting what i’m talking about) so it ended up like this. I hope it doesn’t make you uncomfortable.**

  
  
  



	6. The Fallen Alice

Stiles traced with his fingers the warm skin on Derek’s palm where the alice stone had disappeared. There was not even a sign that it had once existed; no wound or scar. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel. He hadn’t been a part of this world for long but he could sense that someone’s alice stone was something very personal. They were told that they should keep them safe and he had failed. This couldn’t be good.

He looked up to Derek hoping the guy would have a clue about what was going on but he seemed just as weirded out by the situation as Stiles was.

‘’Did i do something wrong?’’ He asked Derek.

‘’No, i don’t think so.’’ The boy replied as he hesitantly removed his hand away from Stiles’ grasp. ‘’I just...hadn’t seen it before. That alice. But i had heard about it.’’

‘’Well...i didn’t even know i had it so...Should i expect a new one to pop up every month?’’

‘’I doubt it.’’ Derek said, smiling. ‘’Having a second one is already quite rare.’’

Stiles nodded in understanding.

‘’What’s this one called?’’

‘’I think...insertion alice? But you should probably ask a teacher or something.  It seems though that you can insert alice stones into people that were not their original hosts.’’

‘’Hmmm...Strange.’’ He said, turning to look thoughtfully at the now empty lake. It was getting dark  so the little swimmers were already out of the water and wrapped inside their towels. ‘’I thought my mother only had the nullification alice.’’

‘’What about your dad?’’

‘’My dad’s not an alice. I mean...i think? I’m just finding out about these stuff but he sounded pretty much irrelevant to the matter.’’

‘’Well, it’s not _always_ hereditary.’’

‘’But most times, yeah? Are your family fire alices too?’’ Stiles asked. It was only mere seconds later that he remembered that Sunday everyone was meeting with their families. Derek was nowhere around then. That memory combined with Derek’s suddenly guarded expression  told him that he had probably asked the wrong question.

‘’They were...most of them.’’ He said quietly. ‘’ My mother and sisters. My father had the healing alice though. Up until i was ten and my alice had yet to activate, i wished i would take after my father. Everything would have been much less complicated.’’ He added, staring down at his hands.

‘’Derek...is it true that your alice can hurt you?’’

Derek didn’t seem to know how to respond...or how to begin.

‘’It’s...it’s not a death sentence if that’s what Lydia told you.’’

‘’Nevermind what Lydia told me. I’m asking you.’’

‘’It’s true that students of the Dangerous Abilities Class tend to have shorter lifespans than the rest. I have a strong alice and i can hardly control it. I always use it in 100% of its potential and it always leaves me weaker. My mother was better at managing her power but she had many problems too. My father was helping her _a lot_.’’

‘’Maybe i could help _you_. If you let me. You don’t need to do this alone.’’

Derek laughed bitterly. ‘’Like i need to drag more people with me into this. Stiles, i know that you know...or at least you suspect that something’s not right around here. You can’t get mixed up into this...’’

Stiles to comment on that but Derek raised a finger at him to shush him.

‘’You stay away from this.’’ He said in a firm tone. ‘’Away from me. And be discreet about your alices. You never know to whom they could be useful.’’

‘’Uh...I can think of _one_ person. You, you stubborn prick.’’

‘’Stiles! You do as i say, okay?’’ Derek was obviously starting to lose his patience. ‘’Please, just trust that i know better. Even if...i say different later. Even if i seek you out.’’

Stiles nodded in agreement even though he didn’t agree at all. There was no way that Derek would come seeking for his help and he would deny it.  

Stiles would have to explore later these masochistic tendencies.

‘’Can i ask something else?’’

‘’I guess...’’ Derek replied.

‘’Now that you have my alice stone, can you use it?’’

‘’Eh… Yeah, probably. But only temporarily.’’

Stiles’ heart fluttered with joy. ‘’Then maybe i _could_ help a little.’’ He said excitedly.

He had been afraid that he had lost his stone but no. It was right where it belonged. Right where it was needed.

* * *

Stiles didn’t want to explore immediately the nature and uses of his second alice. It seemed too soon. He hadn’t even mustered his first alice yet. He hadn’t even gotten used to the life in the Academy. So he just kept the knowledge on the back of his mind and he would revisit it later. He didn’t tell Scott or Morrell. The only one that knew was Derek. Derek, who of course  kept his distance at all times. Especially when he walked through the high school corridors with his group, he wouldn’t even spare him a glance. Everytime Stiles would dare smile at him in acknowledgment, Derek would just glare back angrily. Stiles was sure that the next time they would get to interact with each other would be once again under dire circumstances.

And of course he was right.

On a Friday afternoon, immediately after classes, Stiles saw the walls and boards of the Academy covered with sheets of paper bearing an announcement. There was a memorial to be held that Sunday. They were honoring a student that had lost her life about a year ago. Allison Argent.

Stiles asked Scott and Greenberg if they knew anything about her but they both had no idea.Greenberg had only come to the Academy a month before Scott. She asked around of course but she only found out that Allison Argent was also part of the Dangerous Abilities Class; nothing more.

At the entrance of the dining hall Stiles found Derek and Lydia together. They were standing in front of an announcement sheet plastered on the wall. Derek was holding Lydia’s shoulders as she stared at the paper in silence. If Allison was in the Dangerous Abilities Class, Stiles thought, maybe she and Lydia were friends. He walked towards the pair wanting to check if she was feeling alright.

‘’Lydia, maybe we should go.’’ Stiles heard Derek say. Lydia didn’t move though. Stiles watched her as she raised her hand and with the tips of her fingers she lightly caressed the bold, calligraphic letters that were forming Allison’s name. Derek moved closer to her and she instinctively leaned backwards for support.

‘’Is everything okay?’’ Stiles finally asked, surprising Derek and Lydia both. Seeing the look on their face made Stiles understand that he was probably intruding in a very private moment. ‘’I’m...I’m sorry. I just wanted to make sure you were feeling okay, Lydia.’’

She quickly nodded yes. She didn’t say anything, probably not trusting herself to keep her voice steady.

‘’You should get some rest.’’ Derek suggested. ‘’Let’s go.’’ He took her by the hand and led her outside. Lydia passively followed.

Stiles wondered if he had finally discovered the reason behind Lydia’s constant melancholy.

That Friday he woke up to the sound of a raging halestorm hitting against his windows. The following day the temperatures were closing to freezing levels even though it was already April. On Sunday morning everything was covered in snow.  

Stiles was positive that this had everything to do with Lydia’s ice alice.

Around ten they covered themselves with scarves and heavy coats and walked towards the little church that was standing near the entrance of the school. It was not mandatory for the students to attend but Stiles wanted to be close to Lydia and Derek. Even if he didn’t, Scott would have dragged him there anyway.

There weren’t more than twenty students inside the church; maybe four or five teachers and a middle-aged man that Stiles didn’t recognize. He was dressed in black and he looked absolutely devastated. Probably Allison’s father. Lydia and Derek were sitting right beside him at the front row. Stiles and Scott sat at the back.

It was a simple ceremony. After the priest was done, there was a series of speeches from people that knew her. The words kind, courageous and good friend kept being repeated again and again. Lydia seemed completely calm through most of that part but Stiles could hear the wind growing stronger and stronger outside.

The last speech was to be Lydia’s. The minute she stood up, Derek made to follow but she stopped him and moved forward on her own. When she reached the table where Allison’s photo stood among the candles, she placed there a couple of white roses, tied together with a black ribbon. The photo was one of them together; hugging, laughing, looking happy.

‘’Thank you for coming here today.’’ Lydia began to say. ‘’Thank you for still remembering Allison the way that she deserves. I don’t know why i ever doubted that you would. It’s been a year since we lost her and there’s not been a day that her thought left my mind. Her voice...her presence follows me at every step. Because that’s the kind of person she was. The kind that comes into your life and changes it forever...makes it better...meaningful.’’

Stiles looked outside the window. A snowstorm had began.

Lydia wiped a tear that was streaming down her face and kept going.

‘’People say...it’s been long enough. That i have _grieved_ long enough. That i should be trying to recover and move on...if not for me, for her. Well...these people obviously didn’t know Allison. They can’t possibly conceive how pointless life can seem after losing someone like her. They can’t conceive the unfairness...they can’t.’’ Lydia’s voice broke and Stiles watched the storm becoming thicker. Nervousness took over him. ‘’This ache cannot be healed. It is forever.And so are the questions.I won’t ever stop asking why. Why her? I won’t ever stop asking who’s fault was it. And the answer won’t ever stop being...mine.’’

‘’Lydia...’’ The man at the front row stood up and walked towards the girl who was now a crying, trembling mess. He took her into his arms and she clinged onto him like a lifeline.

‘’I’m so sorry, Chris...I’m sorry...It was all my fault.’’

‘’Listen to me, Lydia. You did nothing wrong. Nothing.’’ He bent down to place a kiss on her forehead.

‘’It was supposed to be me...’’

‘’No. She wouldn’t have let that happen. She wouldn’t allow it...’’

Lydia looked up to the man who Stiles understood was trying to maintain a brave face.

‘’She left us, Chris.’’ She said as if she was just starting to understand it. The man simply nodded.

A banging noise startled everyone. Stiles turned to see the huge, metal doors of the church being pushed wide open by the ruthless blizzard. Everyone hurried to cover themselves as the cold air hit their faces with unbelievable force.

Lydia looked around horrified.

‘’I..I’m sorry… I don’t know how to stop it...’’

Derek and the teachers tried to get to her but she shook her head frantically. ‘’Stay back!’’ She cried. When everyone took a step back, she ran out of the church terrified and without a coat.

The adults started gathering the students so as to lead them down at the basement where they would be protected. Morrell though pulled Stiles aside.

‘’I think you should go after her.’’ She suggested.

‘’What?’’ Derek exclaimed behind his back. ‘’Stiles is staying right here. _I_ am going after her.’’

‘’Uh,I’m sorry, which one of you has the ability to nullify other people’s alices?’’ She asked sarcastically.

Derek huffed angrily. ‘’I’m going with then.’’ He said, leaving no room for negotiations. Morrell just shrugged.

‘’I’m coming with you too.’’ Scott told him. Stiles didn’t even try to change his mind.

‘’Where do you think she’s gone?’’ He asked Derek.

‘’Caitlin...the student with clairvoyance alice...said she’s heading to the dorms.’’ Derek said.

They got out in the storm with barely anything to protect them. Stiles’ skin felt as if it was breaking. They used their scarves to protect their faces as much as possible.

It took them three times the usual time to get to the dorms and when they made it, they were beyond exhausted.

No answer came when they knocked on Lydia’s door. Derek tried to open it but it seemed stuck. Both he and Scott had to fall onto the door to finally push it open.

All three of them gasped at the sight of Lydia’s room. It was like walking into an ice cave.  Stiles looked up and saw icicles hanging from the ceiling. Lydia was lying on her bed in a fetal position. Many parts of her body were covered in a thin layer of frost; even her lips and eyelids. Her ice blue eyes were open, unmoving…

Derek sat by one side and Stiles by her other. Scott was still standing at the door to shocked to even move.

‘’Lydia.’’ Derek said quietly, running his fingers through her hair.

‘’I’ll just stay here.’’ She whispered, startling Stiles who at first thought she would be unresponsive.

‘’I can help you, Lydia.’’ Stiles said. He took her frozen hand into his and it was honestly his most painful experience to date. ‘’You just...have to try with me too. Okay?’’

‘’Just leave me here...Just leave...’’ She said, closing her eyes.’’ When i’m gone, it’ll be over...’’

Stiles was stunned into silence.

‘’Lydia, open your eyes.’’ Scott said with a stern voice, coming to stand behind Stiles. ‘’You’re not giving up.’’

Lydia ignored him.

‘’Allison wouldn’t want this.’’ Derek tried.

‘’Then she shouldn’t have left me...why...why did she?’’

‘’To protect you...’’ Derek said, stroking her cheek lightly with the knuckles of his fingers. ‘’So please...don’t take this away from her.’’

She opened her eyes and turned to look at him. ‘’I don’t know how… She was always there...now nothing seems right...’’

‘’I know...you know that i know...’’ Derek joined their foreheads together. Both kids had tears in their eyes and Stiles ached for them both ‘’But we have to stay strong...We have to make them proud. Okay?’’

‘’Okay...’’She breathed out. She finally grabbed back Stiles hand and held on as tightly as possible in her state.

‘’Yeah...okay...’’ Stiles said. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to make his alice work. ‘’You should maybe think of something calming...happy. Anything...’’ Up until this point he could feel his power surging forward but something kept blocking it. He needed Lydia relaxed.

She moved to lie on her back and looked at Derek. ‘’Do you remember my fourteenth  birthday?’’ She asked, almost smiling.  He nodded.‘’She even made _you_ come...’’

As Lydia started to share her memory with Derek, Stiles could sense his alice finally releasing itself in waves and passing through the girl. He turned to look out of the window and waited. As the minutes passed, the snowstorm slowed and weakened. The color returned on Lydia’s face and the ice covering her walls started to melt.

It took nearly an hour for the first rays of sunlight to pass through the window glass. By then Lydia had fallen asleep.

‘’Maybe we should take her to the infirmary.’’Stiles suggested.

‘’I will take her.’’ Scott said. Stiles made way and let his friend take the unconscious girl into his arms. He lifted her carefully and carried her out of the room.

To anyone else, Scott would seem calm and collected. But Stiles could see. The way his friend held the girl tightly against his chest. The way he was looking down at her. His friend had been scared out of his mind.

* * *

Stiles was exhausted.

The moment he got out of the room and felt the heat surrounding him, he sighed in relief and fell down on the floor, his back resting against the wall. Derek sat down beside him.

‘’Allison...’’ Stiles said after a while. ‘’ She must have been a great person.’’

‘’Uh..well...We never really got along. But she and Lydia…They came at the academy on the same day when they were ten years old. They’d been inseparable since then.’’

‘’What happened?’’

‘’I..I’m not sure how to explain this. Sometimes…Students with dangerous alices...they have to deal with some matters regarding the academy.’’ Stiles nodded because he had figured out as much. ‘’ Allison and Lydia were usually sent out as a team but i was with them too the day that it happened. Something went wrong and…Lydia was hurt. Badly. She wouldn’t breath. We couldn’t feel her pulse either. Up until then we all thought that Allison owned just one alice. The pain alice. But it turned out she was a healer too. She tried to save Lydia...and she made it. But not without a cost. It’s another thing to heal and another...to resurrect.’’

‘’Someone has to stop these things from happening. You’re just children.’’

‘’Someone has to.’’ Derek agreed.

Sighing, Stiles shrugged out of his wet coat. He was still freezing.

He let out a very audible gasp when he felt Derek’s arm wrapping around him.

‘’Let _me_ help _you_ this time.’’ The boy simply said. Stiles felt a beautiful warmth spreading through his body.

‘’I thought you couldn’t control it.’’ Stiles said, plastering himself on Derek’s side.

‘’It’s different...with you.’’

Stiles rested his head on Derek’s shoulder.

‘’What happened today… It was the saddest thing i’ve ever witnessed.’’ He said.

‘’Losing the person you were supposed to go through life with...it can’t be easy.’’

* * *

 

**Notes**

**\- I’m really, really scared about this chapter.**

**-So...i made sort of a[cover ](http://chrysthebadwolf.tumblr.com/post/92353376176/the-academy-gakuen-alice-au-high-school-au)for this fic. I’m not very good at photoshop but i wanted to make sth nice for the people following the story. Thank you for sticking with it. **


	7. The Spring Ball

The first face Lydia saw when she woke up on the infirmary bed was Derek’s. He was standing right by the door and the second her eyes opened he ran out of the room; to inform the doctor probably. The second face she saw was Scott’s. He was sitting on the chair right beside her bed,asleep; his head was resting on his shoulder in a very obviously, uncomfortable position. His clothes were crumpled and there was a book on his lap. She sighed tiredely and reached with her hand to poke him on the knee.

‘’Hey...you...’’ Her voice came out groggier than she expected.

Lydia watched as the boy slowly woke up.It took him a minute or two to come to full consciousness but when he did, his face lighted up and leaned forward to take her hand into his. She didn’t let him.

‘’Uh...sorry.’’ Scott said as he awkwardly let his hand fall on the mattress.

‘’ How long have i been out?’’ She asked, checking her surroundings.  

‘’About two days.’’

‘’And how long have _you_ been here?”

‘’Ehm...two days?’’ He replied hesitantly.

Lydia rolled her eyes. ‘’Why?’’

‘’Why...what?’’

‘’Why all these, Scott? I’m aware you’ve got this… stalkerish crush going on. I’ve noticed, okay? I’m trying to reach for a book on a high shelf, you’re there. I need someone to open a door, you’re there. I almost freeze myself to death, _you_ are there. Why?’’

‘’I...I just care about you.’’

‘’You don’t know me. You know nothing about me.’’ Lydia tried to be as firm as a girl in a blue robe and crazy hair could.

Scott nodded. ‘’I can see that now. But if you gave me a chance...i would like to.’’

The earnest look on the boy’s face deterred her from being completely dismissive.

‘’Look...i can’t give you what you need. You should find someone else.’’

Scott frowned.‘’Someone else? It’s not that simple, you know. It doesn’t happen every day that you meet the person that makes you feel… that feels right.’’

Lydia smiled sadly at that. ‘’I know. If you’re lucky, it happens once. I’m not that person for you, Scott, but I hope you’ll find them. It will be worth the wait.’’

The boy seemed about to protest but then he seemed to regret it. ‘’This is not the right place for this kind of conversation.’’ He said, standing up. ‘’You need to rest and… I’m not helping. ‘’

He walked towards the door and opened it.

‘’Stiles sends his love and he says he’ll come visit for sure.’’ He added before he left the room.

Five minutes later, Derek and a nurse came in. She counted Lydia’s temperature that was still abnormally low and then helped her to take a scorching hot bath. Dressed in a clean robe and with her hair finally combed, Lydia walked out of the bathroom to find that Derek was no longer sitting alone.

‘’Persona.’’ She acknowledged the man sitting on a chair next to Derek’s. The pale skinned man grinned and gestured her to go lie on the bed. She quietly obeyed.  

‘’How are you feeling, princess?’’ He asked.

‘’Good.’’ She answered. What she meant was trapped, suspicious, terrified; like every time Persona and her were sharing the same space. There was a time that she trusted him with her life. There was a time that he felt like an older brother to her; the one to guide her, the one to soothe her when her power was getting too much to handle.

She had to grow up to understand that both she and Persona were puppets of the same master and that he lived only to serve his master’s wishes. She saw it clearly when she had to watch Derek getting punished for trying to run away and when Persona ordered them to leave Allison’s body behind because it would slow them down. Derek completely ignored him and carried her home anyway, earning right there and then Lydia’s faithfulness forever.

‘’I’m glad.’’ The man said. ‘’I was so worried when i heard about your little incident. Thankfully, you had _friends_ that got you through it.’’

‘’Derek was there.’’ She said weakly even though she knew he was not referring to Derek.

‘’To be honest, i’m more interested in Stiles Stilinski.’’ Persona confessed. Lydia watched Derek stiffen, his hands gripping tightly the arms of the plastic chair.

‘’What about Stiles?’’ She asked, avoiding the dark eyes behind the mask.

‘’Well, how he handled the situation was quite impressive. Don’t you agree?’’

‘’He helped me a lot.’’ She agreed.

‘’Then you must think too that he would make a great addition to our group.’’

‘’No.’’ Derek answered before she could.

Persona chuckled. ‘’Derek, you know you’re one of my favorites but don’t kid yourself by thinking you have a say.’’

‘’Don’t kid yourself by thinking you’ll even lay a finger on him.’’ Derek answered through his teeth.

‘’You never know. He _could_ come to me. It wouldn’t be polite to deny him.’’ His grin widened.  ‘’I won’t.’’

‘’Leave now.’’ Her friend demanded.

‘’You’re right. We shouldn’t bother the patient any longer.’’ Persona stood up to leave. ‘’Rest well. princess. Oh, you wouldn’t happen to know by any way what Stiles’ mother name is, would you?’’

‘’No.’’ Lydia replied truthfully.

‘’Hmm...too bad.’’

‘’Why do you need to know?’’ Derek asked.

She didn’t expect Persona to reply but he did.

‘’No particular reason. She might be an old friend...that’s all.’’

* * *

Stiles was sitting on the bleachers watching the lacrosse practice which had just began. He had no particular interest in the sport but Greenberg had asked him to come with since she wanted to speak to the Coach. Finstock was currently yelling like a mad man at the students that were doing laps and completely ignoring poor Greenberg who was walking by his side trying to make him pay attention to her.

Stiles was thinking of going to save her from any further rejection when he saw Derek walking towards the bleachers. The boy quickly ascended the steps and came to sit by his side.

‘’Hey.’’ Derek said.

‘’What are you doing?’’  Stiles asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

‘’Eeh...i thought i could come and say hi?’’

‘’But...people might see.’’

‘’Good.’’ Derek said, weirding Stiles out even more.

‘’But i thought...’’

‘’Things change Stiles, okay? Do you want me to leave or something?’’ He made to stand up but Stiles caught him from the wrist and pulled him back down.

‘’I don’t want you to go, okay? Just...stay.’’

Derek smiled and nodded once.

‘’How’s Lydia?’’ Stiles asked.

‘’Good… After Chris visited her, she felt a lot better.’’

‘’Allison’s dad?’’

‘’Yeah… After Allison died, they got a lot closer. Lydia doesn’t get along with her parents so much so...it’s good she has someone like Chris.’’

‘’Maybe i could go visit her tomorrow, if it’s not much of a bother.’’

‘’Sure. She was looking for a chance to thank you anyway.’’

Stiles was getting ready for a humble reply as it’s expected when he saw a furious Greenberg climbing up the bleachers.

‘’Greenberg, is everything alright?’’ He asked.

‘’ No. Everything sucks.’’ She said, crossing her arms and pouting, admittedly, quite adorably.

‘’Aw, what happened?’’ He offered her his bag of jelly berries as consolation.

‘’He said no.’’ She replied, opening the little, plastic bag forcefully.

‘’No to…? Dude, did you propose again?’’ Her last attempt was two weeks ago. She had organized a flash mob proposal to Pink’s ‘’True Love’’ and everything. Stiles had teared up a little bit.

‘’Uh, no. I’m still working on that. He refused to be my date for the Spring Ball.’’

‘’The Spring Ball?’’ Stiles asked, looking at both Derek and Greenberg.

‘’It’s this Saturday.’’ Greenberg explained. ‘’I even got a dress and...’’ She sighed. ‘’I really thought he would say yes.’’

‘’I’m sorry, Greenberg. You should still go and have fun though.’’

‘’Yeah?’’

‘’Yeah. ‘’ Derek intervened, surprising Stiles. ‘’It will be like...a rehearsal. For when you actually go together.’’

Greenberg smiled at the thought and Stiles fought the urge to kiss Derek on the cheek.

‘’We should go together!’’ The girl told Stiles excitedly.

‘’Like...what? Like a date?’’

‘’Yeah...you’re not going with anyone else, right?’’ She asked.

‘’I don’t...think so?’’ Stiles answered side glancing Derek who was intensely looking down at his hands. Stiles berated himself for even passingly thinking Derek might want to go with him. They weren’t even friends for fuck’s sake. They were just acquaintances who sometimes...helped each other?

‘’Awesome!’’ Greenberg exclaimed, throwing the jelly berries aside and proceeding to hug him tightly.

Stiles smiled embarrassedly at Derek who was just looking amused.

‘’ _So_...’’ He began hesitantly after Greenberg had freed him. ‘’Is there anyone you’re bringing to the ball?’’

‘’Uh...no.’’ The boy answered and Stiles kept inside a sigh of relief. ‘’I’m not gonna be able to be there. I have...stuff to do on Saturday.’’

Derek seemed honestly bummed out he would miss the ball. Stiles would have thought that he wouldn’t be into this kind of social events.

‘’Oh, too bad.’’ He replied. ‘’ Anyway… Me and Greenberg will head for the dining hall. Scott’s waiting. Wanna come?’’

‘’Uhm, sorry...I told Lydia we would eat together at her room.’’

Stiles nodded, disappointed.

They parted ways a couple of minutes later. Stiles kept turning to look behind at Derek who was walking toward the opposite direction. There was something he needed to ask. He knew it was stupid and improbable and there was a huge chance he would face humiliation but he _had_ to ask.

He told Greenberg to wait for him and he ran to catch up with Derek.

‘’Hey, dude...wait!’’ He called out and Derek stopped and turned around.

‘’Is there something wrong?’’ He asked, obviously worried.

‘’No...not yet. But give it a couple of minutes.’’

‘’I don’t understand.’’

‘’Uh...the thing is...The thing _is_...’’ Stiles swallowed thickly, trying to calm himself down. He had never felt more nervous in his life. His palms were sweaty and he was pretty sure his voice was coming out thinner than usual.

‘’Stiles, are you okay?’’ Derek asked, coming closer. And _that_ wasn’t helping.

‘’Look...i had a thought. A suggestion actually. Which you can either dismiss or consider...Whatever you feel like… no pressure...’’

Derek was just blinking, seemingly and rightfully lost.

‘’What i’m trying to ask you, Derek, is...if… If it happened so that you would have time to pass by the Spring Ball...’’

‘’Yes?’’

‘’Would you like it if me and you… I mean, i will be there with Greenberg, _but_ … I could save you a dance.’’ Stiles finally managed to say.

‘’Okay.’’ Derek replied, a wide smile forming on his face.

‘’Really?’’ His heart was threatening to leap out of his chest but now nervousness was not the cause.

‘’Yeah, really. I will try to make it. I’ll be there.

* * *

Stiles couldn’t stop checking himself out in the mirror, trying to get used to the image of him in a  suit. Which admittedly...wasn’t bad. His whole body was itching with anticipation to find out if Derek would like it too. He had taken an abnormally long time in the shower because instead of washing himself, he was just standing under the water spray re-playing different scenarios in his head about how the night would go. Not that he was certain that Derek would come. He was just hoping. Derek had said he would try.

Those last few days that Derek was not intentionally avoiding him had been a very pleasant change. He would join Stiles and his friends at lunch or at the library and sometimes he would even walk him to his classes. Stiles wasn’t stupid, of course. He knew that something had probably happened and made Derek worry about him. But that was the thing. Derek _was worried_ about him. And Stiles was almost constantly worried about Derek so that should mean that something was going on there...right?

He heard a quiet knocking on the door. He took a deep breath and went to open it. Greenberg was standing there, thankfully looking as nervous as he was. She was wearing a short, lilac dress with a ribbon tied around her waist. On her head there was a crown of blue hydrangeas that matched beautifully with her highlights. Stiles offered her his arm and she slid her own around it,leaning against him.

‘’Thank you, Stiles.’’ She said as they were leaving for the ball.

‘’Thank _you_ , Greenberg. If not for your kind offer, i would have ended up being Scott’s date.’’

‘’Who is Scott bringing?’’

‘’Uhm...no one,actually. He almost didn’t come but then some buddies of his convinced him to try for the band position.’’

‘’And they made it?’’

‘’Yep… Well...Finstock told them they were not looking for a band but they convinced him to let them perform a couple songs toward the end.’’

‘’Hmm...’’ Greenberg said thoughtfully.

‘’You’re thinking of song dedications, aren’t you?’’ Stiles asked, causing her to blush.

‘’ _Maybe_?’’ She answered and he couldn’t help but laugh. He gave her half a hug and they went on their way.

The ball was to be hosted at one of the greenhouses close to the High School building. The students were after all responsible for taking care of them.

When they got there, Stiles understood why it was the right choice. The smell of jasmine and night flowers was filling the air around them and looking up, one could clearly see the starry sky. Girls with colorful dresses were dragging their partners at the twinkle light dance floor even as they protested about not knowing how to waltz.

He and Greenberg spend most of the night next to the snack bench with Scott but when the Coach arrived, they went to dance near the teachers’ table where he could see. Greenberg was pointedly looking at the opposite direction but, of course, kept asking Stiles if Finstock was looking at them.

‘’Greenberg, can i ask you something?’’ Stiles asked her at some point. He felt her huff a laugh next to his cheek.

‘’ And i was wondering how come you hadn’t asked me yet...Is the question about Hale?’’

‘’Yes.’’

‘’Do you really need _me_ to tell you?’’

‘’Please tell me... just so i know i’m not imagining things.’’

‘’You’re not. You’re good together. One does not need my alice to see that.’’

‘’Okay..thanks...Uh...can i ask you something else?’’

‘’What is it, Stiles?’’ She said tiredely. They had been dancing non-stop for half an hour now.

‘’Who is the ten year old at the teachers’ table?’’ He asked, looking at the black haired boy squeezed between Harris and Morrell.

‘’Who...oh...you mean the High School Principal?’’

‘’The High School Principal?’’ Stiles repeated incredulously. ‘’The little guy who has not even hit his puberty growth spurt is our principal?’’

‘’Yes,Gerard Argent. Just...not the original.’’ She replied, taking him from the hand to lead him at the drink stand. He was _so_ thirsty.

‘’You lost me again.’’ He said as he proceeded to fill their glasses halfway with ice and then soda.

‘’What i mean is that the actual Gerard Argent is a really old guy...or so i’ve heard. An old guy who happens to possess the Clone Alice. Get it now?’’

‘’So...you mean...that the principal is Argent’s mini-me?’’ Greenberg nodded. ‘’And where is the original?’’

‘’How should i know?’’ She replied, shrugging. And they left it at that.

* * *

The hour was almost closing one and Derek hadn’t showed up. Only a handful of students were dancing now. Most were sitting around the little tables, drinking the last of their drinks and some had already left. Stiles knew he shouldn’t feel disappointed. It didn’t mean that Derek didn’t want to come...he just couldn’t.

Greenberg had taken off her shoes and was sitting at the edge of the stage where Scott and his guys were performing. The remaining crowd didn’t seem to be particularly enthusiastic but his friend seemed to be enjoying it so there was that.

Scott was singing the first lyrics of a slowed down version of ‘’Stand Inside your Love’’ when Stiles saw Derek entering the greenhouse and looking around  frantically. Relief settled on his face when he finally spotted Stiles. He wasn’t wearing a suit,just jeans and a black button down, and yet he was still the most gorgeous person in the room. Stiles walked to the middle of the dance floor and waited for him, smiling.

The moment Derek reached him, he wrapped his arms around his waist and drew him close. He didn’t even say hi and Stiles didn’t ask why he was late. He didn’t care; not anymore. He just hid his face into his shoulder and tried to move at the rhythm of the song.

Stiles never knew contentment until that very moment when Derek’s body was pressed against his so he could breathe him in...enjoy his warmth. He felt twice as happy when he lifted his head and over Derek’s shoulder saw the Coach dancing with an over-excited Greenberg. He laughed and gave her a thumbs up.

‘’Derek...’’ Stiles called. They had been dancing silently for five minutes. ‘’Derek...’’ He said again when the boy didn’t respond. Stiles, worried, pushed him gently away. He could now see that Derek looked paler than usual. He reached to touch the boy’s face and felt cold sweat dripping from his skin. His eyes were half-closed and he almost lost his balance and fell backwards but Stiles held onto him. ‘’Derek, what’s wrong?’’

Derek wouldn’t answer. Stiles had to look down to understand what the problem was. One couldn’t see it on the black fabric of Derek’s shirt, but on Stiles’ white ,where they had touched, there were red stains of blood.

‘’Derek...you’re bleeding...’’ He said, looking up at the boy in panic.

‘’M’sorry, Stiles...’’  Derek replied, his voice fading. He weakly hugged Stiles, leaning his weight against him. ‘’...said i’d be here...’’ He mumbled against his shoulder. ‘’...wanted to be here...’’

* * *

 

**Notes**

**-I know. I’m hurting Derek a lot. I’m just trying to keep the character close to canon :p**

**-So...this was supposed to be a chapter about Persona but...it ended up being a filler. Sorry, guys. I’ll probs stretch this to 11 chapters to get the story back on track. We’ll see...**

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	8. Persona

In a room full of people no one seemed to notice Derek bleeding into Stiles’ arms. Couples were still dancing around them sleepily, the waiters had already started cleaning up the empty tables and Stiles…

The world seemed to have stopped for Stiles. Everything around him seemed to be happening away from him...in another reality.

It wasn’t until he felt a hand on his shoulder that he finally came out of his haze and noticed Morrell standing by his side.

‘’Come with me.’’ She said and Stiles followed. Derek was walking with great difficulty, using both of them as support.

‘’Where are we going?’’ Stiles asked.

‘’My brother is waiting for us at the infirmary.’’

‘’He’s a doctor?’’

‘’No. A Healer.’’

‘’Not to insult your brother or anything but maybe we should call a...’’

‘’No one. You call no one else. Alan is the one who always helps us out with this kind of situations.’’

Stiles instantly  fell into silence,stricken by the realization that Morrell was obviously aware of the things happening with the students of the Dangerous Abilities Class. The same person that had claimed the Alice Academy was the safest place for someone like him, was watching children get hurt, doing absolutely nothing.

Stiles tightened his hold around Derek’s waist.

Morrell’s brother was waiting for them at the back door of the infirmary. When he saw them getting close, he signed for them to follow him inside and led them to an empty, cold examination room. They helped Derek lay on the metal table at the middle of the room and rid him of his clothes so that the healer could inspect his wound. At first it looked really bad but after it was cleaned up, Stiles could see that it wasn’t going very deep.

Derek’s eyes were closed but he could tell that he was conscious; his grip on Stiles’ hand hadn’t loosened at all. When the healer spread a thick, transparent liquid on the wound, Derek hissed in pain.

‘’What is this?’’ Stiles asked.

‘’It will keep the wound from being infected.’’ The man answered.

‘’Aren’t you an alice? Just...do your thing. Fix him.’’

The man smiled at himself as he kept working on Derek.

‘’Fix him? Meaning what? To pour white light out of my hands and make it as the wound never existed?’’

‘’Yes, please.’’

‘’Every healing alice works differently. Every _alice_ works differently. Just let me do it my way, okay?’’

He pulled a soaked gauze out of a steaming kettle standing on the bench behind him and gingerly put it on the torn flesh. Stiles noticed the scent of eucalyptus and lavender hanging in the air. After he had bandaged Derek properly, he gave him a light sedative to help him go to sleep.

‘’Are you staying?’’ The man asked while washing his hands under the faucet.

Stiles nodded. ‘’I want the first words he hears when he wakes up to be, _you’re and idiot, what were you thinking_?’’

The man chuckled. ‘’I could deliver the message.’’

‘’Yes, but you couldn’t deliver the meaning.’’ The meaning being, _you scared me, don’t ever do this to me again._

Morrell came in a minute later to inform her brother that if Derek was to be admitted in a room, they should go and inform the night shift nurses about the reasons of hospitalization. The man agreed and as they were leaving Stiles heard them settle on admitting Derek for mild fever and fatigue.

Stiles felt disheartened. How was he supposed to help Derek now? Lately he kept trying to find a way of telling someone...asking for help...without putting Derek in trouble.But who was he supposed to tell when everyone who mattered already knew.

Resting his forehead lightly on the boy’s chest, he tried to match the rhythm of his breathing with Derek’s. He had to calm down...He had to think clearly.

‘’Mr. Stilinski.’’ Stiles looked up to see Persona standing at the doorway. He instantly felt the need to wrap himself around Derek; to protect him. The man closed the door behind him and chose to remain near it.

‘’ Derek failed to report back to me.’’ He continued as Stiles said nothing. ‘’I figured something had gone wrong.’’

‘’Really? And you came all the way here to see if the _kid_ you sent out to do your dirty work is still alive? How considerate of you.’’

‘’Dirty work? Protecting the best interests of this Academy is dirty work, Mr. Stilinski?’’

‘’You are sending children to fight battles for your sake. Excuse me if i think your intentions might not be the most honorable.’’

‘’Children? Yes. Children who could bring down cities and spread panic in their wake if they wanted.I trust that they can hold their own.’’

Stiles raised his eyebrows in an ‘’are you serious manner’’, pointing at Derek. Derek who was still pale and cold.

Persona sighed tiredely. ‘’Derek can be reckless at times. He could really use someone to hold him back...to help him think before he acts.’’

‘’You’re not seriously suggesting what i think you’re suggesting.’’

Persona’s thin, blue lips formed a smirk.

‘’I’m simply suggesting you two would make a great team. Derek doesn’t know how to take care of himself. He doesn’t want to. Is it wrong of me to want what’s best for him?’’

‘’Me?’’

‘’You seem to have formed a bond. Your alice could spare him from self harm. Don’t you want to help him?’’

The question was delivered in a challenging tone and Stiles felt anger pooling in his chest. Of course he wanted to help Derek. Any way he could. He wanted to be there when Derek fought or found himself hurt. He wanted to at least know what Derek had gotten himself into. He wanted Derek to have someone to live for and fight to come back to. And as much as it scared him...he probably wouldn’t mind being that someone.

‘’Think about it, Stiles.’’ Persona went on. ‘’Derek is only one of the reasons you should join our team. The things you could do for us...The things _we_ could do for you.’’

Stiles was ready for a rageful comeback when the door beside Persona opened and Amelia Crane, his mom’s friend, stormed in. She was still in her formal gown; her braided, red hair was gracefully falling on her bare shoulder.She looked around and when she her eyes found Persona, her expression went from frantic to stone cold.

‘’Out.’’ She simply said.

Τhe man huffed a scornful laugh. ‘’You don’t seriously think...’’ He started to say but she gave him a look that clearly meant ‘’shut up’’ and he actually...did?

‘’You know the rules, Persona.’’ She stepped towards him, sure...unafraid. ‘’ His alice is not dangerous. Not for _him_ and not for anyone else. You have no right standing anywhere close to him.’’

Persona looked at Stiles and then back to the woman, smiling.

‘’So it must be as i suspected. I figured it almost instantly you know… He looks just like them.’’

‘’Out!’’  She repeated in a more forceful tone. He moved to the door but before he left she added ‘’...and never speak of them again. I don’t want their names coming out of your traitorous mouth.’’

He looked at her over his shoulder. Stiles was surprised to see that her words had actually affected him; for a second there he seemed hurt. And then he disappeared.

‘’What’s going on?’’ Stiles asked.

‘’Nothing you need to worry about. Morrell went to visit Lydia and she told her that Persona had set his eyes on you. We’ve been watching over you since then...’’

Stiles finally understood why Derek had barely left his side these past days.

‘’ What about Derek? No one seems to be watching over him. Not for the other kids either. Why am i special?’’

Miss Crane looked at Derek and then away, avoiding Stiles’s eyes.

‘’It’s complicated, Stiles. I know it’s not fair...i know. Could we please talk for a minute?’’

‘’Talk.’’ He said but she shook her head.

‘’Not here. You could come to my room.’’ She offered.

‘’What? You don’t seriously think i’m leaving him?’’

‘’They’ll come take him to a room anyway any minute now. You can come after...it won’t matter if it’s late. Alan will let you.’’

Stiles still seemed hesitant. Derek shouldn’t wake up alone.

‘’Stiles, please. You need to know some things about Persona...about your mother.’’

He couldn’t say no after that. He waited until they came to take Derek and then followed her to the teachers’ dorms.

* * *

Miss Crane’s room was small;even smaller than his. A big part was occupied by the huge bookcase  and the bed.  Out of the window doors Stiles could see a little balcony full of red, ceramic pots bearing all sorts of plants and flowers.

Stiles walked towards her nightstand and picked up a photo from there. It was a photo of his mother. She was young, almost as old as he was now, and she was wearing the academy uniform. With her were Miss Crane and an older man in jeans and a plaid shirt. He had brown, messy hair and the same pretty eyes with his mother’s friend. Maybe he was the brother she had been talking about? All three of them were lying on the grass, looking up at the photographer, laughing and holding hands; his mother in the middle.

Stiles felt a squeeze on his heart. He had never seen his mother so happy. Had they made her so unhappy? Weren’t they enough?

‘’You can take it if you want.’’ Miss Crane said, pointing at the picture.

‘’No, thanks. It is your memory after all.’’ He said, letting the picture fall on top of the bed. ‘’What did you want to talk to me about?’’

She sat down on the bed and he sat down next to her.

‘’Uhm...would you like some tea...something to eat?’’ She asked nervously.

‘’No. I need to get back to the infirmary so let’s get this over with.Who is Persona? What right does he have sending children to fight on his behalf?’’

‘’It’s not on his behalf but the high school principal’s. Persona has been under his protection since he was a kid and he’s been following him blindly. Whatever the principal says, it’s the rule.’’

‘’The little guy?’’ Stiles ask incredulously.

‘’No. The man behind him. Somebody who when he wants something, he gets it.’’

‘’What does he want? I don’t understand. What is his purpose?’’

‘’He’s greedy, Stiles. He wants power. Who else could be more powerful than a man with an army of strong alices? Who could go against him?’’

‘’Why are you letting him do it?’’

‘’We’re not. We won’t, i swear. But the Academy is the right place for a young alice to be. The help they will find here, they can get nowhere else. But for the rest of our students to be safe, we had to give the principal control of the Dangerous Abilities Class. It was the only way for this academy to fulfill its purpose.’’

‘’I don’t...What are you saying? That in order to stay true at some dreamy vision about this school, you were okay sacrificing some students? For like...the greater cause?’’

Stiles felt like throwing up. Crane had at least the decency to look guilty.

‘’You can’t see it now but...’’

‘’Is my mother part of this?’’ He suddenly asked.

‘’No, no… She wanted no relations with the academy after…After she left. She must hate it that you’re here...if she knows.’’

He let out a sigh of relief.

‘’What i don’t get is, why aren’t they turning against him.’’ Apart from Derek and Lydia who he could see were displeased by the situation, the rest of the students of the group seemed to consider being part of the Dangerous Abilities Class some kind of honor. ‘’Maybe they wouldn’t bring him down but they’d have good chances of leaving this place.’’

‘’Most of these students were approached as little kids. They felt different. They were hurting and knew people were afraid of them… And then Persona came to them. The one person that understood better than anyone what they’re going through. He guided them. He made them feel worthy and proud. The students don’t care about the principal. They follow Persona.’’

‘’He seems to be afraid of you.’’

The woman laughed bitterly. ‘’He’s not afraid of me. He just doesn’t dare face me. He knows what he did...he knows what he took away from me. And deep down...he knows it was wrong.’’

‘’Was it Persona? Was he the one who killed your brother?’’ He concluded, reading between the lines.

She nodded. ‘’And all my brother had done was try to help him. He was the one that found him. Persona was an unwanted child. His own parents were afraid of him. They abandoned him at the academy when he was barely months old. Since then he was kept down at an academy basement out of sight and out of reach. Most teachers didn’t know about his existence. Like my brother. When he discovered him, he was enraged. He took him under his protection and tried to help him integrate with the rest of the students.’’

‘’That mustn’t have gone well.’’

‘’No...it didn’t. But Will...my brother… He never gave up. He kept guaranteeing for the other students’ safety. He was convinced that he and your mother could make sure Persona could control his alice. They were after all the ideal team...’’

‘’Why?’’

‘’Because of their alices. The nullification and insertion alice.’’

Stiles stopped breathing.

* * *

**Notes**

**-that is very, very late. sorry. started my clinics and i hadn’t realized it would take so much time or that it would be so exhausting. so the eta can’t be as stable now. luckily there are only 2-3 chapters left and it won’t be much of a bother. if you want to know how chapters are coming through you can pm me here or tumblr. feel free to drop by and ask.**

**\- don’t forget to[vote](http://www.thebacklot.com/slash-madness-final-round/08/2014/) for our bbs in the final!!!!**

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	9. Alices lost in the fire

Have you ever  experienced the kind of panic where one looks absolutely in control but in reality they feel like the world surrounding them is unreal and somehow out of their grasp? It’s the exact same sensation that you get during a bad dream; the one where you can’t move… nor scream. That was exactly how Stiles felt at that moment, during his conversation with Amelia Crane. During the course of the last hour he had to cope with the news that his school was consciously supporting a system that exploited students and also with the gradual realization that he might have been lied to about his parentage. Amelia had strongly suggested that her brother and his mother did not a have a traditional student-teacher relationship. She had said they were very close. And now Stiles had found out that he possessed a combination of both their alices; the nullification and insertion alice. Was it possible that his mother had left the Academy grieving her lover’s death and already pregnant with his child? And if so… When and how had his father entered the story?   

‘’Stiles… are you listening to me?’’ The redhead suddenly asked, pulling him back into reality.

Stiles shook his head negatively. ‘’I’m… I don’t feel very well...’’ He stood up and headed for the door.

‘’Stiles? Where are you going?’’

He stopped and turned to look at her; his hand left on the door handle.

‘’I have to go see Derek now.’’ He said with voice bare of emotion.

‘’ But...there’s so much i haven’t told you yet...There’s something you need to know.’’

 _There it was_. Amelia was about to tell him what he had already figured out and he was not ready. He was not ready for it to be true.

‘’I have to go see Derek now.’’ He repeated and left the room.

Every breath he took on his way to the infirmary made his chest burn with sadness.  Why was it that now when he had to stand up for the people he cared for that he felt at his weakest?

Relief washed over him when he finally reached Derek’s room and closed the door behind him. It was as if he had entered a safe place. Like… if he broke down right there, right at that second...it would be okay.

Derek was already half awake when Stiles entered. Taking the boy’s image in, he seemed to quickly realize that something was not right; even more than before. He carefully moved aside and lifted the light covers to wordlessly invite him by his side.

‘’I’m afraid i’ll hurt you.’’ Stiles said, sitting himself at the edge of the bed.

Derek rolled his eyes. ‘’ Do not make me come there.’’

Stiles snorted. ‘’With the sedatives the healer gave you, you’d probably try to float your way here.’’ He pulled off his sneakers and moved to lie next to Derek.

‘’I  was wondering where you had gone...’’

‘’Sorry i left. A friend of my mother wanted to talk to me.’’

‘’About?’’

‘’About Persona… About how horrible he and his actions are while everything fucked up _they_ have done, they did for a reason. _Totally_ justified.’’ Stiles replied, his words dripping with sarcasm.

‘’Hm… Was your mother’s friend Morrell? That sounds like one of her standard speeches every time she dragged me back to the Academy.’’

‘’Close but no.’’  Stiles turned on his side to be able to see the boy next to him. ‘’ Derek...’’ He started to say.

‘’Tell me.’’ He turned his head to look into Stiles’ eyes.

Stiles did not know how to begin. He could not find the right words to explain why he felt his world had turned upside down.  So he didn’t. He did not speak of the past he had just discovered. He did not speak of a father he’d never really met and a mother he never really knew. Instead he asked something he’d long been curious about.

‘’Why have you been trying to run away?’’

Derek’s expression turned confused.

‘’What kind of question is that? I think we’ve safely established that my life here kind of sucks.’’

‘’Yeah, but why now?Why not sooner? I mean… No one else seems to be trying to run away… Not even the kids from the Dangerous Abilities Class.’’

‘’ Those kids either fear Persona or they love him pathologically and would never dare betray his trust. It depends on how he got you in, in the first place.Emotional manipulation, blackmail, promise of status...’’

‘’And you do not fear him?’’

‘’He...does not have that kind of power over me anymore.’’

‘’How did he get you in? _If_ you don’t mind telling me.’’

‘’He went the simple way… He proved i was a danger to society.If an alice has been proved to be harmful toward others or its bearer, then that person is obliged to join the Dangerous Abilities Class.’’

‘’Scott… when i first told him i knew you… he said something about you… That you had done something...’’

'’ Burnt a town to the ground? Yeah… i know everyone says so. It’s alright...’’

‘’Uh… Did you?’’

Derek looked hurt for a second; like he did not expect Stiles to ask him that. He quickly recovered though and answered.

‘’No, Stiles. I didn’t…But...my sister did.’’

Stiles eyes widened at the revelation. He pressed his hand lightly on Derek’s chest and asked him to go on.

‘’My mother knew that if the Academy took us in then we would definitely be placed in the Dangerous Abilities Class. She knew our alices were not stable enough yet and she was afraid. She had heard how things had become at the Academy… She did not want this for us. Because she and my father were both powerful and respected alices they managed to convince the council to let us be home schooled at least until high school. The headmasters of the elementary and middle school are both logical people and it’s only thanks to them that the Academy has not yet turned into a complete chaos.’’

‘’Hm… I suspect the high school principal was not happy about that.’’

‘’He was not. That’s why he had Persona make sure that me and my sisters would attend the Alice Academy.’’

‘’How do you know all that?’’ Stiles would be surprised if Persona had been so forward about his actions to someone he was interested in using.

‘’ I found out later. Allison told Lydia everything. Allison is Argent’s granddaughter… She had heard her father and her aunt arguing about it one night.’’

‘’Allison was put into the Dangerous Abilities Class by her own grandfather?’’

Derek nodded yes.

‘’And so was her aunt before her. Only Kate truly embraced her role there. She deeply believed in the cause of the class and she would do anything for Persona. She was barely eighteen back when me and my family met her. We did not know who she actually was or we wouldn’t have trusted her. Her Alice was Disguise.’’

‘’But...what does this have to do with your sister?’’

‘’Kate approached my family as a french teacher. She was teaching both me and my sisters.She...was our friend. We loved her. My youngest sister, Cora, was only six then and had just started presenting her alice. She had no control whatsoever. My parents gave her medication that was supposed to suppress her alice as much as possible. Kate somehow managed to change that medication into power enhancers; power enhancers that my parents unknowingly administered _daily_. I remember...oh god… I remember those last days before the fire. Cora could barely get off the bed….she could barely open her eyes. Her fever was sky high. My mother would put her under a cold shower almost every hour and feed her ice chips instead of water. One night i woke up by the sound of yells and cries outside the house. My room was already drowning in smoke… I opened the window to get out and i saw… every house,every tree, every car on the street was burning up.’’

Stiles was feeling sick with sorrow. He felt that he should offer some kind of comfort but he could not see how. This was too much for someone to recover from.

‘’So...’’ Stiles said, swallowing thickly. ‘’ You lost everyone to the fire.’’

Derek reached to touch Stiles’ hand that was still resting on his chest. Their faces were close since Stiles’ sternum was plastered on Derek’s bare arm and it was overwhelming to Stiles how open and vulnerable Derek looked.

‘’ Almost… Cora and i survived. Some distant relatives fought to take us in but we were considered dangerous. We came to the academy a few months later.’’

‘’But..where’s your sister now? I don’t even think anyone knows you have one.’’

‘’Cora never truly became well. Her brain had suffered considerable damage by pushing her alice to its limits. She lived in Persona’s chambers. He was her caretaker. He rarely let me see her but… i couldn’t just leave her. A few months ago… just a little before you came here… she died.’’

‘’So you ran.’’

Derek clasped their hands together.

‘’So i ran.’’

* * *

 **  
**Stiles was impressed by how calmly Derek narrated the events that had brought him and trapped him at the Alice Academy. He also felt honored that he had chosen to share such a painful part of his past with him. He wished that he could do the same and tell Derek everything about the mess that was his family but now everything that happened to him seemed so little and unimportant in comparison to what Derek had to go through. He listened to him carefully and responded just by moving closer, knowing that no words could soothe pain or show support the way that human contact did. They fell asleep a long time later when they were too tired to translate their thoughts and sentiments into sentences. **  
**

A couple hours later Stiles woke up to the sound of careful steps on the hard tiles of the infirmary room. His heart almost stopped when he opened his eyes to see a figure standing above the bed. He immediately reached for the switch on the wall right behind them spreading a soft light into the room. A woman with long brown hair in a nurse outfit was benched above Derek inserting a needle into his vein.

‘’I’m...I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep...’’ Stiles immediately tried to apologize thinking he would get scolded. The words turned into a gasp when the woman lifted her head to look at him and he realized that her face was incredibly familiar. A hundred years could have passed and he would never fail to recognize that face... _those_ _eyes_ so similar to his.

‘’Stiles… it’s okay. You’re safe now.’’ She said and her voice lighted up his brain like an electric current.

‘’What are you doing here?’’ He turned to look at Derek who hadn’t even flinched at the noise. ‘’What did you do to him?’’

‘’Nothing,honey. Nothing, i swear. He’s just in deep sleep. I didn’t want to risk waking him up.’’

‘’Dad sent you.’’

A tiny grin formed on her face as she nodded. ‘’He’s waiting for us.’’

‘’Mom...please. I don’t want to go.’’

‘’Stiles, i know you don’t want to leave your friends...’’

‘’I _can’t_ leave them!’’ He said, raising the tone of his voice. ‘’They need my help, mom.’’

Claudia reached over Derek’s sleeping form to hold onto her son’s shoulder.

‘’That’s the plan, honey. We’ll help them out but we can’t if we’re stuck inside this place. I swear to you, we’ll come back for them...For every single kid trapped in this school.’’

‘’They will think i abandoned them.’’ The thought of Derek thinking he had just left him behind helpless was simply suffocating.

‘’They know you better than this.’’ She sighed impatiently. ‘’ Please… We need to hurry up, Stiles. I came here alone, with no back up. Everyone thought it was too risky but… I couldn’t just… I had to come for you.’’

‘’I’m not sure… I don’t know you, okay? I know nothing about you. How can i follow you just like that?’’

His mother seemed to be affected by his words. Her expression hardened.

‘’You’ll do it for your father who’s going crazy thinking of you here. You’ll do it for your friends. Because right now you have absolutely no idea where to even begin with helping them. You’ll do it because you may not know me… but you know you need me.’’

She was right. Stiles hated that she was right.

‘’How are we getting out of here?’’ He asked.

‘’The teleportation alice.’’ She replied, pulling an emerald alice stone from her pocket. ‘’I only have one… You’ll insert it in yourself and try to teleport as close as possible to the spot where the cars left you on your first night.’’

‘’How do you even know i have the Insertion Alice?’’

‘’It’s called the Stealing Alice...and i didn’t know. I hoped. If you don’t make it at first, don’t be scared. You can try again. You can do that a bunch of times… My people will find you and take you to your father.’’

‘’What about you?’’

‘’We don’t have a Stealer on the team department here up north. We couldn’t acquire another teleportation alice stone so soon. I will get out the traditional way. Now get up! We’re cutting it close.’’

Stiles stood up reluctantly. He had to find a way to let Derek know he wasn’t just leaving him behind; that he would come back for him. That he cared. He cared much more than he ever expected to be capable of.

He always thought that they would have enough time together so he didn’t need to rush things. He didn’t need to say something before they were both ready to go beyond being just allies. 

But now their time was up.

He should have said something. Anything...

* * *

When Derek woke up, it was almost noon. A sense of disappointment settled inside his chest since he had expected to wake up the same way he had fallen asleep; holding Stiles hand. Stiles was gone though.

But not completely…

A tiny part of him was still there, Derek realized, as he opened his closed fist and found a tiny blue stone hidden there. Stiles had given him his alice stone.

Stiles hadn’t just left a message. He had left a question waiting to be answered. He had left a promise.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -because it's been a while let me remind you that giving your alice stone to sb basically equals a love confession. if the pairing exchanges stones they're ''meant to be''  
> \- this year is a lot harder on me than i'd expected and that is why i've been so slow. the story will be finished though.


	10. Claudia's Team

The second Stiles found himself appearing at the clearing where he first set eyes upon the Alice Academy the loss hit him. With the exception of his first few days there, he had never thought of leaving it; especially not alone. Even when he began to understand the horrid actions of those who were trying to take advantage of the students’ powers, he always imagined that with his friends by his side they would find a way to drive those people out of the academy’s walls and make it a safe place once again. As he walked toward the opposite direction, trying to find the people that would take him away, he could feel his chest getting heavy with regret. He imagined the faces of Scott and Derek when they would find out that he was gone. He didn’t have the time to explain the reasons he was leaving so they would simply think that he had abandoned them. He at least hoped that Derek would understand the significance of the alice stone Stiles had entrusted him with. To Stiles it meant that he would always be coming back for him. He couldn’t tell if he and Derek were ‘’meant to be’’ but he definitely knew that they were meant to exist in each other’s lives.There wouldn’t come a day when Derek needed help and Siles wouldn’t run by his side.

It took Stiles about fifteen minutes to reach the side of the road. He wasn’t sure that this was the exact spot the academy cars had left them back then but it didn’t matter; soon he saw a small travel bus heading slowly to his direction and coming to a halt right in front of him. The doors opened to reveal a teenage, blonde girl at the driver’s place. She was wearing light blue scrubs and glasses with a thick frame, her hair fell messily on her shoulders and she looked absolutely exhausted. She said nothing to Stiles and for at least one solid minute they were simply staring at each other.

‘’Are you getting on or what?’’ The girl finally asked.

‘’Eh…did my mom sent you?’’

‘’Is she okay?’’ The girl said instead of answering his question.

‘’I think? No one knew she was around till the time I left… And no one seems to be looking for me so…’’

‘’Okay then… Let’s get going while that’s still the case. I do love me a good, old, traditional car chase but not when I haven’t slept or eaten nothing but chips for three days straight…Or bathed.’’ She added wrinkling her nose.

‘’I just…How can I be sure you’re with my mother and not with the academy?’’

A tiny smirk appeared on the girl’s face.

‘’Well, I for one am not an alice, kid.’’ She said as if she was that much older than him. ‘’Just a plain, powerless human who just happens to be badass.’’

‘’Why would a non-alice be in my mom’s team?’’ Stiles asked suspiciously.

‘’Wherever he goes, I go.’’ She said pointing with her thumb to the back of the bus. ‘’We’re kind of a package deal.’’

Stiles finally stepped on the bus and looked inside. At the passenger seats at the back he saw a seriously muscled, black guy who looked positively bored and a cute, Asian girl who waved at him excitedly.

‘’We are the losers who thought it might not be a catastrophically bad idea to come and save you.’’ The blonde told him, looking him in the eyes. ‘’Trust me. We’re Claudia’s team.’’

And that is how Stiles met Erica, Boyd and Kira.Their trip, he was told, would last for about six hours. It actually lasted seven and a half because for the most part it was raining heavily. They were enough for him to find out who his travel companions were exactly.

Kira was the only one of them that had once attended the Alice Academy. When she was about thirteen years old, for reasons she could not explain, she stopped presenting signs of her alice; the Electricity Alice. It was not a rare occurrence for a child to lose their alice when it entered adolescence and it automatically meant that they had to leave the academy. There was no place at the school for a child with no powers. When Kira became seventeen though her alice returned and it was stronger than ever. Soon she was being chased in order to be returned to the academy. Οf course, she had no intention of going back. Not because her time at the academy had been hard. On the contrary, her time there consisted of beautiful, almost magical childhood memories. And then…she could no longer go back; she was of no use to them anymore. As a little kid this broke her heart. She felt unworthy; unwanted. It would have been crippling for anyone to have been part of something so special and then suddenly be forced to leave it behind. Imagine the years of psychotherapy Harry would have to go through if he hadn’t been allowed to return to Hogwarts for his second year.

Kira found Claudia’s team by herself having heard of it through her family; all of them alices. She was worth more than her alice. She knew that now and she would fight anyone who told her differently.

 Boyd and Erica were a completely other story. They had grown up together; their bedroom windows barely a couple meters apart from each other. In the midst of their very troubled lives they had chosen each other as anchors. They always needed one another. They always found one another.

When Erica’s stepfather tried to harm her, Boyd ended him the instant he found out. He crushed the man with his bare hands only, using a kind of strength he had never been aware of before. It scared him out of his mind. When the police got involved, he tried to run away alone. Erica tracked him down only a few days later and slapped him for thinking he could go anywhere without her.

They had been on the run for almost a year before Claudia’s team found them. They followed them willingly after they were promised not to be separated.

All three kids spoke highly of Stiles’ mother. They described her as a friend and a mentor. He couldn’t help but feel jealous that for the past years she had been more of a mother to them than to him; her own son.

Stiles even asked them if they knew about his existence before they had to come to his rescue. Erica and Kira said no. Boyd said that he knew Claudia had a son once but he always thought that something bad had happened to him.

Stiles, disappointed and kind of depressed at that point, decided to approach a lighter subject.

‘’Why are you wearing scrubs?’’ He asked Erica when they had thankfully stopped four hours later for a break. Boyd and Kira had run to the only diner in the area to pick them up some sandwiches. It had looked adorable when Kira got under Boyd’s leather coat to protect herself from the rain.

 ‘’I’m supposed to be a nurse.’’ She replied while she kept sending messages on her phone. Stiles wanted to ask if she was sending them to his mother and if she was okay but he didn’t.

 ‘’Alright…’’ He said, narrowing his eyes in confusion. ‘’What am I supposed to be then?’’

 Erica sighed tiredly and looked up from the screen to face him.

‘’The team is stationed at a little rural town. Very peaceful, with good people. We obviously couldn’t tell them we’re part of a rebellion group fighting against a greedy, supernatural scumbag.’’

 ‘’I see. Good point. What _did_ you tell them exactly?’’

 ‘’Our face is a, let’s say, boarding house. For people…with problems. Psychological problems.’’

‘’ _So_ … you’re a nurse and I’m…?

‘’A diagnosed schizophrenic who after months of hospitalization is trying to reintegrate into society? I don’t know…You pick. Kira wanted to have borderline personality disorder. She likes acting all dramatically around the town people. They love it when she freaks out. Her insults are very creative.’’

 ‘’And where did you supposedly drive us now? To a soul searching trip?’’

She snorted. ‘ _No_. To your monthly appointment for your electroshock therapy.’’

 ‘’Erica I really don’t think it works that way.’’ Stiles said; not that he was an expert on psychiatric diseases himself.

 ‘’Whatever, they don’t know that.’’

 So there went Stiles idea of a super secret hideout with genius scientists and massive destruction weapons. Only a few hours later they arrived at a really small town, even smaller than Beacon Hills, and definitely a lot colder. The rain was still going along with a strong, freezing wind. The street where the ‘’boarding house’’ stood wasn’t covered with asphalt so Stiles had to step on mud and make a mess of his jeans. In comparison with the little, run down houses around it,Stiles new home didn’t look so bad. A bit old and impersonal but not bad.

 When the door opened to reveal Stiles’ father, it was the first moment in ages he felt right for leaving the academy.

* * *

His first few days at the house had been relatively calm. He hadn’t spoken with his mother much, mostly spending time with his father and Kira. Boyd and Erica had left for a mission a couple days after his escape. No one was informing him of the team’s plans but from what he had gathered, from the conversations going around him, the  pair would be flying to Japan. That left about twenty people in the house of different ages, backgrounds and alices. The only ones who actually bothered to get to know him were those that had been his mother’s classmates  during her years at the academy; Fatima and Theo. They had been married since high school and now Fatima was expecting their first child. The couple had apparently played an active role at the events that occurred before his mother left the academy and they were the ones that kept the rebellion alive after William Crane’s death. Stiles noticed that whenever they spoke of him, it was not as a teacher or even a mentor, but as a spiritual leader; as the figure who fueled and gave life to the resistance.

Fatima was an Invention Alice. She spent most of her day drawing, making notes and calculations and then she e-mailed them to her personal lab somewhere in Northern Europe. Theo, who was a strikingly beautiful man, was a Gender Bending Alice. He could easily become a strikingly beautiful woman.

So, yeah… this was pretty much Stiles’ social circle at the boarding house. He had tried to keep a low profile and not ask many questions. He wanted to draw his own conclusions first. He needed to figure out if these people were dependable; if they were the right side to be on. He also wanted to know if it was among their intentions to get his friends out of the academy; if it was even a thought at the back of their minds.He couldn’t approach his mother with this concern because...well, he didn’t feel like approaching her. Whatever her reasons, right or wrong, she _had_ left him and now she was a stranger.

The seeming peacefulness and Stiles’ admirable effort to act with subtlety was not meant to last for long. It ended abruptly an evening when they had all gathered for dinner.

Stiles kept his mouth shut as always, happily munching on some spicy ribs and listening carefully at the ongoing conversation. Apparently, a large part of the team was not pleased with Claudia’s decision to get her only son out of the academy. To many, it seemed not only risky, as it could lead Argent’s people right back to them, but also egoistic.Stiles didn’t particularly care that he was unwanted. He couldn’t bother to feel neither sad nor angry. What was told afterwards though was enough to fill him with hot, burning rage. At some point, someone from the team mentioned that by executing such a careless plan, his mother had ended up hurting another student.

 _Derek_ , Stiles thought and turned to look at his mother at the head of the table, searching her eyes for the truth. He was horrified to see her averting her gaze, obviously accepting her guilt.

‘’I...I want to leave this place. I don’t want to be here anymore.’’ Stiles said, his voice shaking, and got up to leave the table. He locked himself in his tiny bedroom and didn’t even answer to his father’s pleas to open the door.  He hid under the heavy comforter and tried to fall asleep.

Every night Stiles dreamt of Derek. He dreamt of the moment they would meet again and of what he would say. That night he didn’t want to. Thinking of Derek made his heart ache with guilt. He fought to find peace into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

‘’Stiles, will you please open the door?’’ His mother quietly asked, only barely knocking. He hadn’t left his room for the past sixteen, maybe seventeen hours. More accurately, he hadn’t even left his bed. Around two o'clock he stretched out to reach for the carrot cake he had hidden in his night table drawer and after he stuffed his mouth with it, he went back to staring at the ceiling.

‘’Stiles… let’s talk about this.’’ Claudia went on. Stiles reluctantly got up and went to stand by the door.

‘’I want to go back for them...Derek and Scott.’’ He said, leaning with his shoulder on the hard wood.

‘’We can’t...Everything will happen at the right time, Stiles.We can’t make any exceptions...’’

‘’You made them for me!’’ He cried in frustration.

‘’You are my son!’’ The woman yelled, hitting her fist on the door. ‘’I gave you life. You’re the reason i keep going in all this mess. _Of course_ , i made an exception for you.’’

Stiles’ heart was beating fast now. He bit his lip nervously, wondering how he could respond to that.

‘’If i open the door...’’ he said a after a while ‘’...will you tell me about my father?’’

‘’About your father?’’ She repeated in confusion.

‘’My real father.’’ He explained. ‘’William Crane. He’s my father, right?’’

No answer came by the other side of the door.

‘’Does dad know?’’ He asked then.

‘’Yes… He knew from the beginning. I never lied….about that.’’

Stiles took a deep breath and opened the door. ‘’Come in.’’ He said. Claudia gave him a tight smile and stepped into the room. She walked to the foggy window and sat on the comfy armchair by it. Stiles didn’t move from where he stood.

‘’He was your teacher...’’ He said, trying to note the inappropriate of the situation.

Claudia folded her arms defensively. ‘’He was twenty one. And we had grown up together. We had spent most of our lives at the academy. It was our home and we were... each other’s family.’’

‘’You grew up at the academy? But...you hate it there.’’

His mother shook her head. ‘’I love the academy, Stiles. I just...hate what it became. I’m fighting to take my home back. I’m fighting to make it safe again for the generations to come...for you.’’

‘’Was it so different back then?’’ Stiles asked, finally moving to sit on his unmade bed.

That’s when she gave him her first real smile; even though bittersweet. ‘’Just...imagine. Dozens of kids with beautiful talents gathering together at one place. Watching their gifts grow. Knowing that these people will go out to the real world and work to make it better.’’

‘’Well, that’s still the case....i think.’’

‘’No,no, you don’t understand. There have been no students at the academy for a really long time. There are only soldiers. Since the academy’s foundation,every child was free to choose if it will join the school. Now if the high school principal considers your alice useful, you’re his. The end. And even after….after the school is over. The academy these days is so strongly tied to major corporations that it’s basic purpose is to create tools that will make them money.’’

‘’So what happened?’’

‘’Gerard Argent obviously. His family was very well known at our cycles; most of them powerful alices. Since the beginning of the previous century, there had always been one Argent at the Alice Academy council. But Gerard… he had always been a mystery. No one really knew what his alice was or if he was even an alice.’’

‘’He has the clone alice though, right?’’

His mother nodded. ‘’He was working underground for years… Without us noticing, his clones had infiltrated all kinds of industries…political offices, media…They all held and still hold major positions. When Satomi Ito, the previous high school principal died, Gerard pressured the council into electing him to become the next one. It was hard to say no to a person who could not only crush their lives but also put an end to the academy as a whole.’’

‘’My...my f… Crane fought him? That’s why he died?’’

‘’Your father was one of the teachers that organized the students against the principal. The previous weeks had been terrible. Kids were only allowed to leave their rooms to go to their lessons. Many of the students had disappeared suddenly...or so we thought. One night i...i had snuck out from the dorms to go find Will and i saw some of them coming out of the woods wounded and disheveled. The Dangerous Abilities team had started to form.’’

‘’What happened after?’’

‘’We tried to fight back. At the beginning there were peaceful protests… then one day we simply refused to leave the school building. We locked ourselves inside and refused to let anyone in. Our mechanics and chemistry prodigies made sure of it. We just...we were trying to make a point. That the school belonged to us and we didn’t belong to anyone. We wanted to be heard. Of course, we didn’t last long. When the school’s doors were opened by force and the principal’s people got inside lots of people got hurt… Will felt guilty. He hated himself for getting his students caught up in all of this. He had started to think if it’d be better to...just leave. Me and him.’’

‘’A bit selfish of him if i might say.’’ Stiles said. He didn’t know why but he didn’t want to like William Crane. He was really wishing for him to turn out to be an asshole.

‘’Well...by then we had found out that you were on the way. And Will had started to believe that maybe we could be of more help outside the academy. You have to remember that the real Gerard Argent exists somewhere out there. At the academy exists only his mere clone. A pone.’’

Stiles clutched at his bed sheets. ‘’You obviously didn’t make it...You never left the academy together.’’

His mother pulled her feet up and hugged her knees. She was staring straight ahead with eyes empty of any emotion. ‘’No. He was murdered before we could escape. By someone we trusted. By someone we _loved_.’’ She replied, filling her words with venom and rage.

‘’Persona.’’ Stiles concluded.

‘’He was still a child back then. I wouldn’t blame him… i wouldn’t _hate_ him as deeply as i do now if he hadn’t turned out the way he did. He is now beyond forgiveness.’’

‘’Did you try to kill him? Back then?’’

‘’Why would i go after a child who had been misled to believe the wrong things? I would have gone after the principal. _You_ were my priority though,getting us out of there... Vengeance didn’t seem as important.’’

A sense of warmth bloomed in Stiles’ chest as he heard his mother’s words.

‘’Thank you.’’ He found himself saying. His mother simply grinned.

‘’I...didn’t want to hurt Derek.’’ She said after a minute of uncomfortable silence. ‘’We needed a teleportation alice stone. That afternoon we went to find a guy… The face of his operation is a tailor shop but he has a talent for obtaining alice stones. He’s not a Stealing Alice, he just...has his ways...’’

‘’A Stealing Alice…my father’s...’’

‘’And yours. It’s the power to steal other people’s stones and then insert them to somebody else. They keep calling it the Insertion Alice because...uh… people with that alice used to get shunned by the community. Everyone was afraid of them so being one made you kind of a black sheep.The Insertion Alice sounded… safer, i guess.’’

‘’I understand.’’ Stiles wasn’t sure that he shared that alice with Crane. He had never taken another person’s alice stone away from them. Of course, he hadn’t tried to either.‘’ _So_ … how much does an alice stone cost exactly?’’ He asked genuinely curious.

Claudia snorted. ‘’I wasn’t going to _pay_ for it. We had arranged an exchange. The nullification alice is quite rare, you know. I could exchange one of my stones for half his merchandise. But i just wanted that one thing. I’m afraid Persona is a bit more greedy. He sent Derek and his team for the stones; every single one of them. We _had_ to fight. I mean...we could have left discreetly but Alec’s been a friend and an ally for years. We couldn’t just abandon him and we couldn’t surrender all these stones to Persona and the principle.’’

‘’Derek is just a kid. They’re all just kids, mom,being pushed to fight other people’s fights. I can understand this was a difficult situation for you but i just...can’t forgive you. He could have died. I could have...lost him.’’

His mother shook her head frantically. ‘’I was careful. I would never harm a child. When Derek saw he couldn’t use his alice on me, he tried to corner me against a bench and take away the teleportation stone. I reacted reflexively. I grabbed a pair of scissors hiding under a bunch of fabric rolls and i attacked...But i barely scratched him, i swear.’’

Stiles lowered his gaze and thoughtfully worried his bottom lip. ‘’What… what if he thinks i knew? What if he thinks we were working together? He will hate me.’’

Claudia’s eyes widened with a mix of guilt and understanding and stood from the armchair to go sit by her child’s side. She cupped his cheek gently and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

‘’Stiles, is Derek an idiot? Because only an idiot would fail to see how deeply you love that boy and how lucky he is that you chose him.’’

Stiles grimaced because no, Derek was not an idiot. He was something worse. He was a wannabe martyr who believed that he was supposed to go through life alone. It was a good thing that it wasn’t among Stiles’ immediate plans to allow that.

* * *

Stiles hadn’t felt the sun on his skin for ages. The little town they were living seemed to be forgotten by the gods; the skies were always gray and cloudy and the daylight was going out early even though it was close to summer. He was rarely leaving the house. It was not just that he was not used to that kind of climate but there was really nowhere to go to. There was no library or any sort of market district; just a little coffee shop full of pensioners who were gathering to watch sports or play checkers. He was mostly taking trips to the grocery store and when the weather wasn’t completely awful he would go for a run. The last few days after his conversation with his mom, things were getting better between them. Now, every evening, instead of having dinner with the whole team, Claudia and the Sheriff would come in his room with drinks and food and they would eat together like they used to; like a family.

It was one of those nights. The three of them were lying on Stiles’ semi-double bed, eating steak sandwiches and watching the Aristocats on a laptop. It felt...nice.

Some time around the point where the two adorable English geese, Amelia and Abigail, appear on screen, Stiles heard the noise of a car passing in front of the boarding house. He thought that whoever was driving must  be in major need or just plain stupid. There was a serious storm going outside. Earlier in the afternoon his father had ran outside with an umbrella to help the people who had driven to the grocery store and he came back with a destroyed umbrella and soaked to the bone.

A few minutes later, Stiles heard the car passing through again. He was guessing it was the same car since the possibilities of two suicidal drivers existing at a lightly populated town as theirs seemed low.

The third time, Stiles heard the car stop at their street. His shoulders tensed but his mother padded him comfortingly on the shoulder and got off the bed, saying she was expecting visitors and not to worry. She looked at his dad, raising her eyebrows like she was trying to communicate something to him and on his dad’s face soon came recognition. He stood up and followed her out of the room.

Stiles was tempted to see who had arrived but he was sure that the moment he would open the shutters, the bedroom floor would turn into a swamp. And it wasn’t like he wouldn’t get to see these ‘’mysterious’’ visitors tomorrow morning. He turned off the movie and pulled up a playlist with Bastille songs. He had barely moved on five pages into the book he had picked up from the common room’s bookcase when he heard  light knocking on his door. He narrowed his eyes in confusion and got up to go see who it was.

‘’Mom? Dad?’’ He asked with his hand already grabbing the handle. No one answered though. ‘’Who is it?’’ He asked again.

‘’Stiles...’’ A soft and well familiar voice spoke quietly and Stiles’ heart jumped wildly inside his chest. He hastily opened the door to face Derek. The boy’s clothes were wet, his black hair was a mess like he had tried to dry them with a towel and Stiles could swear he had never before set eyes upon something so beautiful. The happiness that took over him was almost too much; it was overwhelming.

Stiles was never one to stay quiet and there were a million questions going through his mind but he also knew that this was not a time for words. He had missed his chance with Derek once, thinking that they would always have time to take that one step further. He wasn’t about to do the same mistake again.

He threw himself into Derek’s arms and breathed into his neck like his life depended on it.

‘’Stiles...’’ Derek tried to say again but Stiles pulled back and stopped him by softly pressing the tips of his fingers on the boy’s lips. When he kissed him on the forehead, he smiled hearing Derek sighing with contentment. He then proceeded to leave loving kisses on his cheeks, on his closed eyelids, each one, and then on his jaw; from the bottom right to the corner of his mouth. He looked at Derek questioningly while the boy looked back at him with wonder. He was about to ask him if he wanted him to stop when Derek leaned forward and captured Stiles’ lips with his own. He immediately opened his mouth to invite him to deepen the kiss. He guided him to the nearest wall and made sure there was no space left between them. A few minutes passed before it became uncomfortable since Stiles’ clothes were getting wet too. He cut off the kiss, chuckling when Derek tried to chase his mouth. He reached for the door to shut it and then took Derek by the hand and led him to the bed. He took off his shirt and threw it on the floor. Derek bend his head to press a string of kisses on his collarbone and then took off his own shirt.

Stiles barely held a gasp inside. He reached with his hand to trace the path between Derek’s sternum and his navel; he felt the boy’s muscles contract. He pulled down his gray sweats, leaving just his black briefs on, and went on to lie on the bed. He watched Derek taking the sight in and he could honestly say he had never felt more wanted; more powerful. He almost stopped breathing when he saw Derek taking off his own jeans and staying with his underwear. He got on the bed and moved to lie on top of Stiles using his knees and elbows to hold most of his weight. Stiles’ whole being shook with want when Derek bit his earlobe and then moved on to kiss him down the line of his neck; each kiss turning more and more bruising.

When Derek’s hand reached inside Stiles’ briefs to stroke his half hard cock, Stiles reflexively grabbed his wrist to stop him. ‘’I...I haven’t done anything like this before. Like ever.’’ He said, his cheeks turning even more red than they already were.

Derek nodded with understanding and moved his hand away. He left a trail of kisses along his linea alba and then went on to kiss and lick the black cloth that was covering his throbbing dick. Stiles whined in desperation, trying not to squirm too much. When Stiles was fully hard, Derek moved back up, letting Stiles pull him into a kiss so hard, it made him taste blood. He pressed their bodies together, causing them both to groan inside each other’s mouth as their cocks finally touched. Derek started rubbing himself against Stiles ,at first slowly with a steady rhythm and then harder and faster. Stiles was pretty sure that their moans could be heard by anyone passing through the corridor outside his room but he couldn’t find it in him to care. When he came, he came so hard that everything looked blurry for a few minutes.

‘’I didn’t want to leave you behind.’’ Stiles said as they were laying together afterwards; Derek’s head was resting on his bare chest.

 **  
** He heard Derek snort and he felt all warm inside when the  boy left a wet kiss on his ribs. ‘’Unfortunately for you, there’s no place you would go that i wouldn’t follow. Too late for that.’’

* * *

 


	11. Alices on the Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -It's been a long time huh? Fortunatelly/Unfortunatelly this last year has been quite eventful and it took me a bit to find the time to complete this. Chapter 11 and 12 had been ready since Christmas actually but i did not feel that they could stand on their own. Hopefully you'll enjoy them.  
> -I also wanted to point out that the character i mention as Theo in this fic, is not Theo Raeken. Theo and Fatima are a fictional pairing in a book that i read and that's where i took the names from. Of course if you want to imagine that he's Theo Raeken go ahead!

Derek’s warm, solid body sleeping by his side was one of the most surreal things Stiles had ever experienced. Not only because of the way he had miraculously re-entered his life; unexpectedly and almost magically in the middle of the night. It was mostly surreal in the way that it made him feel. Complete, powerful and bursting with energy. Almost like the first time he had felt his alice rushing through his body, from head to toe, when he had made his first alice stone. Back then he had pictured his power like water heading toward and colliding with fire. Stiles couldn’t help but notice how poetically ironic that was. He muffled a quiet laugh into his pillow. Could it be that he had always been running towards Derek?

He hadn’t slept at all. Not even for a moment. That heady sensation was too good to miss for something of as little importance as rest. He kept watching and touching Derek who had fallen asleep almost immediately after they had come. He looked exhausted. Stiles wondered if he had driven all the way here on his own. Despite his inquiring nature, at that moment it didn’t matter to him enough the why and the how Derek left the Academy. Even now he wasn’t so sure he cared. All he really wanted was to shut doors and windows and keep the two of them protected…and together. 

A couple of hours after the first sheds of light had appeared through the blinds, Stiles began to question if he was cruel enough to wake Derek up. He knew the boy was tired but he couldn’t help but miss him. 

He softly placed a hand on Derek’s sweaty skin, right above his waistband and went on to kiss him lightly on his ribcage; once… twice. His hand started moving downwards to gently squeeze his lover’s cock as he gave small, experimental licks against his neck and then his now hard nipple. Stiles heard Derek sigh in contentment but he didn’t open his eyes. 

‘’ _Rude_ …’’ Stiles whispered mostly to himself and squeezed a bit harder. His own, almost full erection was searching for relief against the other boy’s hip but this wasn’t how he wanted to come. He craved for Derek’s touch. He ached to feel him moving against him…inside him. He knew he wasn’t ready for that and yet he needed it.

Stiles moved to sit on his knees right by Derek’s side. He hesitantly grabbed on the waistband of the tight, black briefs and took a deep breath before he pulled them down to free Derek’s semi-hard cock. He studied it for a few moments, noticed the differences with his own, and then he took it in his hand. It even felt different.

‘’Uhm…’’ Stiles looked up to see Derek staring at him with sleepy, confused eyes.

‘’Not the reaction I was going for…’’ He gave him a lopsided smile and traced the tip of his index on the path of a thick, dark vein.

‘’Well…uh…I’m just confused. Last night we were still on the taking it slow stage, today I wake up to you looking fondly at my penis…’’

Stiles rolled his eyes… but didn’t deny it. In his defense, it  _was_ a very nice penis. Aesthetically wise.

‘’Last night I wasn’t fully prepared…Psychologically.’’

‘’And now?’’ Derek asked, wrapping his own hand around Stiles’ grip to help him set a rhythm.

‘’Hmm…Now…’’ He began to say before he bent to give a small kiss at the side of the swollen dick that made Derek swear through his teeth. ‘’I don’t know… I just thought it’d be better if we got to know each other. We should get used to each other.’’

‘’You and my penis?’’ Derek asked with a croaky voice. His eyes never left their joined hands, working with long, lazy pulls to make him lose his mind.

Stiles chuckled. ‘’Yep. We wouldn’t want it getting shy around me, would we?’’

‘’Well, keep saying things like  _that_ and…and…fffuck….Uh…fuck…fuck yes.’’ He finished breathlessly as Stiles started picking up the pace. Derek took off his own hand to grab on the sheets.

It was a sight that caused Stiles immense joy; the boy he was in love with, writhing under him, his perfect cock flushed and shining with pre-cum.  He could have never guessed the amount of pleasure one could feel by giving pleasure.

‘’Stiles…please…closer… I need you closer.’’ Derek begged. He grabbed the boy’s arm and pulled him forward so that Stiles would fall on the bed beside him and quickly climbed on top of him.

Finally, they were face to face; breathing the same air, drawing heat from one another.

Derek’s hand slipped down to take a grip of the wet fabric that covered Stiles’ dick.

‘’Can I?’’ He asked and all Stiles could do was to nod fervently. With one effective move Derek dragged the briefs down and at last there was nothing left between them; only skin touching skin.

Derek pressed himself down on Stiles and they both moaned in unison.

‘’Kiss me…fuck Derek… fucking kiss me.’’ Stiles said desperately and grabbed Derek’s ass to bring him even closer. Their heated open-mouthed kiss could barely satisfy the thirst that Stiles felt right now. It soon turned hard to the point that he could almost detect the metallic taste of blood. ‘’Don’t stop…don’t you fucking stop…’’ He called softly as Derek continued to rub himself against him providing him with sweet, blessed friction.

‘’On your knees.’’ Derek demanded at some point. ‘’Come on, babe.’’ He urged him with a smile and a kiss when Stiles did nothing but stare back like a deer caught in headlights.

‘’I’m not… I mean… I want to…But not yet…’’ His heart started beating fast with anxiety.

‘’Stiles…’’ Derek began with a soothing voice. ‘’… trust me. Trust that I would never hurt you… not you, baby.’’ He said and kissed him on the forehead.

Stiles nodded and did what Derek asked. On his elbows and presenting his ass like that he felt more exposed and vulnerable than ever. Only when he felt Derek’s hands on his sides, he calmed down a bit.

‘’I’m nervous too.’’ Derek said as his hands travelled down to his ass to knead the soft, pale skin. ‘’I want to make this good for you… to be good for you.’’

‘’You are perfect for me.’’ Stiles replied. He reflexively pushed back a bit when Derek parted his cheeks and he felt his hot breath against his hole. ‘’So good… just perfect…’’

He felt his eyes water as Derek’s tongue touched his entrance and awoke every single nerve there; literal tears were running down his face as the other boy started eating him out hungrily. He put the edge of the sheet between his teeth, afraid that the desperate sounds he was making would be heard through the whole boarding house. He was struggling not to beg Derek to fuck him right there and then. Maybe  _he_ wasn’t ready but his body totally was. He never needed anything as bad as he needed Derek buried deep inside him at that very moment.

‘’Derek…Derek…I need to… I need to come.’’ He pleaded when he was on the verge of his orgasm. 

‘’Together.’’ Derek said, kissing the dimples at the base of his spine. ‘’Wanna touch yourself?’’

‘’Need it…’’ Stiles steadied himself better so that he could reach for his cock. Derek kept his cheeks apart and plastered himself against him, sliding his own leaking cock between them. His hole was now lose and wet and receptive and the feel of Derek rubbing against it, had it clenching uncontrollably. 

It didn’t take long before Stiles was making a mess of the crumpled sheets beneath him. He collapsed on the bed with a thump, feeling lighter and more relaxed than ever. He couldn’t even find it in him to groan in protest when Derek painted his back with come.

‘’You are beautiful.’’ Derek said to him when they were standing together under the warm spray of the shower.

‘’I don’t want us to leave the room. Let’s not.’’ Stiles replied as the reality of the situation started creeping back into his mind.

They hugged each other tight, hoping they’d never have to part again but knowing it in their souls that they would.

* * *

The rain had finally stopped, Stiles noticed when he opened the shutters. He reached his hand out of the window and nothing but a few, weak drops settled on his skin. The sun was still hiding behind dark clouds but one could see that soon it would break through. It was still fairly early so only a couple of school kids were passing through their street. Their colorful raincoats was the only thing standing out in the dim surroundings.  

‘’Do you ever wander how we got here?’’ Stiles asked. Another girl passed in front of the house in a rush. She was carrying a purple bag too big for her tiny form and her rubber boots were making splashing sounds when stepping on the muddy ground.

‘’Meaning?’’ Derek replied. He was still naked; the towel he had used to dry himself was sitting on the floor right by the used sheets. He was now spreading new ones on the bed.

‘’I mean… When we met each other, could you ever imagine yourself falling in love with me?’’ Stiles had certainly felt something even as they had first set eyes upon each other. It had felt as a very important moment; a life changing moment. But falling in love? He had not seen that coming.

‘’Yes.’’ Derek answered, surprising Stiles who turned to look at him.

‘’Really?’’

‘’Really, Stiles. After my family, you were the one person I could touch unafraid. The night that we met…well… I had this dream…’’

‘’Dirty dream?’’ He teased, jumping on the newly made bed. He sat kneeling right in front of an amused Derek.

‘’I wouldn’t say that. It was…a bit strange. Because it felt so real. At first it was bad… I was at my home, my childhood home… and it was on fire. And somehow I knew that I had started it. Everything I was trying to touch was catching fire too. I was panicking, I was calling for my family and no one was answering back. And then you appeared out of nowhere. I yelled at you to go away but you kept coming towards me. You… you took my hands in your hands and you brought them to your face and I did not hurt you. I was so glad, so relieved. You held my hand and you guided me through the fire like it was nothing.’’

‘’Derek…’’ Stiles wrapped his arms around the boy’s neck.

‘’After that, I had the same dream every night.’’

‘’Of the fire?’’   

Derek shook his head. ‘’No… Of you holding my hand.’’

Stiles’ heart had never felt so big in his chest. He smiled and touched his forehead against Derek’s. He had no other way to convey the magnitude of affection that had taken over him.

‘’Stiles…’’

‘’Yeah…’’

‘’It’s almost eight. I think they’re waiting for us.’’

‘’I don’t care. And shame on you for spoiling our moment.’’ He replied, hugging him even tighter.

‘’Stiles, we can’t hide here forever. I know that you’re scared. I know and I am too. I don’t want to lose you again. Our people though… they’re still back at the Academy. Lydia, Scott…’’

Stiles’ heart clenched with guilt. His very best friend, his partner in life had been left behind and he, who had once brought the world upside down to get to him, was now hesitating to step out of his room.

‘’I have trouble thinking clearly when it comes to you.’’ He admitted to Derek.

‘’Same here.’’

* * *

Half an hour later they entered the common room. It was the most spacious and well lighted room of the house. It wasn’t heavily furnished. There was just a small desk with a computer, a bookcase carrying battered copies of novels and a couple of boarding games and a round, wooden table with chairs that were not matching each other. Stiles was expecting that it would as always be filled with people, enjoying their morning coffee and making plans for the day. He was surprised to find only one person leaning against the table with a steaming cup in his hand. Allison Argent’s father. Gerard Argent’s son.

‘’Good morning, Chris.’’ Derek simply said to the man who nodded in acknowledgment.  The moved both to sit by the table.

‘’Oh, you guys are up.’’ Stiles turned and saw his mother standing at the door, holding a tray. ‘’Chris, I only found some toast and butter to go with the coffee. Someone has to go grocery shopping.’’

‘’That’s fine, Claudia.’’

‘’Mom, where’s everyone? And why are you having coffee with Gerard Argent’s son?’’  He finally asked.

‘’Chris was the one who brought Derek to us last night.’’ She answered. She left the tray on the table and went to sit by Argent’s side. ‘’Did you say thank you, by the way?’’

‘’Why would he do that?’’ Stiles was confused.

‘’Because I asked him to.’’ Claudia replied. ‘’Chris has been helping us for over a year now.’’

‘’And you trust him?’’

‘’Completely. Chris is a good man, Stiles. He was a teacher at the Academy back when I was there. He was the person who helped me escape and find refugee in Beacon Hills. And he has been funding the team’s activities since its beginning.’’

‘’I couldn’t get more involved.’’ Chris continued. ‘’I didn’t want to endanger Allison. I had even convinced my father to keep her out of the Dangerous Abilities class operations. But…Allison, like her aunt, felt that protecting the Academy’s interests was the honorable thing to do.’’

Hearing Chris’ voice break, his mother reached out to touch him comfortingly on the shoulder. ‘’You don’t need to explain yourself to us.’’

‘’It’s fine. I’m fine.’’ He said, trying to sober himself up. ‘’I’m happy that at least she didn’t sacrifice herself for _his_ sake but for the sake of a person she loved deeply. Anyway… now that she’s gone, there’s no reason to keep a low profile anymore.’’

Stiles nodded in understanding and grabbed a chair for himself.

‘’Why Derek?’’ He asked his mother. ‘’Why not Scott? Why not both?’’

‘’The plan was for me to get Scott out of there.’’ Argent explained.

‘’Derek, I know that my son cares for both you and Scott equally. But getting more than one person out of there seemed too risky. And Scott…Well… He can’t take care of himself the way I’m sure you can.’’

‘’I understand.’’ Derek said solemnly.

‘’I fucking don’t.’’ Stiles would not stand for this. ‘’Mom, are you serious? That’s exactly what Morrell and Crane must be telling themselves to sedate their conscience.’’

Claudia’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘’Crane? You met Amelia? What did she say?’’

‘’This is so not important right now. You chose to leave and they chose to stay. All of you think that you’re working for the best of the students on your own way. But you’re doing the same mistake. You are putting the safety of some above that of others. Derek has been putting his life on the line for so long just because someone decided that it was worth sacrificing him for their cause. It’s high time this stopped. The Dangerous Abilities students should finally be protected.’’

As Stiles was saying those words, his eyes never left Derek’s. He needed him to understand that just because he was carrying so much power, he didn’t also need to carry the whole world on his back. He wasn’t the one who was supposed to protect everyone. 

After a few seconds of stunted silence, his mother finally spoke up. ‘’I’m so sorry, Derek. Stiles is right. Regardless of your power status, you are all still children. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop all these from happening to you.’’

Το Stiles’ satisfaction, Derek didn’t respond with an ‘’it’s okay’’ or a ‘’there was nothing you could have possibly done’’. He just accepted the apology with a nod, finally letting Claudia feel the kind of responsibility she held for the exploitation of so many students. 

‘’It won’t take long now.’’ Claudia continued. ‘’ Otherwise I wouldn’t have taken the risk of getting a valuable student like Derek out of the Academy. Our operations have progressed enough that they can no longer stay hidden. They know we’re coming for them. Your friends will soon be safe.’’

‘’But they’re not right now.’’ Stiles pointed out. ‘’Persona knows very well how important Scott and Lydia are to us. You think they’re not going to use them to get to us? ‘’

‘’They won’t.’’ Chris stated with certainty. ‘’I love Lydia like a daughter, Stiles. You think I would just leave her helpless? I made sure both Scott and Lydia won’t be touched.’’

‘’How?’’

‘’They’re under the Elementary School’s principal protection. She doesn’t usually interfere…’’

‘’Shocking.’’ Stiles added mockingly.

‘’But I explained to her the situation and she agreed that it would be the right thing to do. Scott and Lydia now live on the Elementary School’s grounds. They are at the Academy but it’s as if they don’t exist there. No tracking or clairvoyance alice can penetrate the walls Noshiko has raised around them. I can assure you they’re a lot safer than you and Derek are out here with us.’’

Stiles breathed with relief. He was so certain that at some point they would use Derek or Scott to hurt him. He had spent every minute after his escape obsessing over that thought. But for now neither Gerard Argent nor Persona would lay a hand on the people he loved.  _For now_ .

‘’So…why did you take Derek with you in the end?’’ He asked Chris.

‘’Scott refused to come. He said he couldn’t leave Lydia behind and that Derek should come instead. He said he could take care of himself but Derek… Derek needed you.’’

‘’Scott said I should be with Derek?’’ Stiles asked in confusion. ‘’That sounds…nothing like Scott.’’

Chris shrugged while Derek smiled at himself.

‘’Did something happen that I don’t know?’’ He pressed.

The other boy shook his head. ‘’It’s just… It’s true. I can do pretty stupid things when I’m without you.’’

‘’Oh…Okay, yeah, I know that.’’

* * *

 

‘’You’re staring. Why are you staring?’’ Stiles asked, looking at Derek suspiciously. He threw a badly folded t-shirt in the black bag lying on his bed. Claudia told them that soon they would be moving to the central headquarters of the team which were closer to the Academy. Since the moment Stiles set foot into the boarding house, most members had been feeling uneasy with staying there. They were sure that any minute now Persona’s people would knock on their door. They were probably right. He was surprised at how much his mother had risked to get him out of the Academy and then even bring Derek to him.

‘’I’m not.’’ Derek replied from the other side of the bed.

‘’You’ve been holding these for the last three minutes at least.’’ He said, pointing at the pair of jeans that Derek had in his hands. ‘’Are you thinking about something?’’ He grabbed the grey piece of clothing and folded it himself. 

‘’No, not really. I’m mostly… remembering, I think. That day…the day that you left.’’

‘’I didn’t want to leave. Derek…I really thought it was the only way to help…’’

‘’I know, I know. I’m not blaming you. I’m not. But Stiles… I thought something bad had happened. I thought Persona had hurt you somehow. And he didn’t deny it… When I went to find him, he let me believe that he had harmed you…’’

‘’Why would he do that? You’re part of his team…’’

‘’He wanted to break me…take the fight out of me. After Cora’s death, he had nothing to ensure my loyalty. Scott and Lydia were sure that he was lying. They tried to make me come around. And they were right… Your alices are valuable. Persona would not want to waste them like that. But…I just couldn’t risk it.’’

Stiles rubbed a hand down his face, sighing. ‘’I’m so sorry, Derek. I’m sorry they made you do things that you didn’t want to do. Because of me.’’

Derek sat down, with his back toward Stiles and his hands grasping the edge of the bed.

‘’Just… Please, always let me know you’re safe. Don’t let me think… don’t ever let me think…’’ Stiles could hear Derek’s voice fading. Hot tears blurred his vision at the thought that he himself had caused the boy that kind of pain.  He climbed on the bed behind him and wrapped his arms around him.

‘’I won’t. I swear I won’t.’’

* * *

‘’I was looking for you.’’ Stiles said to his father as he entered the small, messy kitchen. Many people were coming in and out every day so the sink was always full of cups and half empty dishes, magazines and old newspapers were usually abandoned on the table or one of the chairs. ‘’ I haven’t seen you since last night.’’

The Sheriff smiled and kept on cutting fat slices of bread. ‘’As curious as I was to get to know that Derek guy, I thought you two would like some time to yourselves. Happy?’’

‘’Well…yeah…as happy as one can be under the circumstances.’’ He replied, stealing a tiny piece of bread. ‘’ What about you, Dad?’’   

‘’You’re safe and here with me, son. That’s all that really matters to me.’’ The man moved to the fridge to get some spread and a tapper with dinner leftovers. 

‘’Mom’s here too… We haven’t really talked about how you feel about that.’’

‘’Confused. To tell you the truth, me and your mom haven’t tried to resolve our issues. We just… We talk about the basics. You…Mostly.’’

‘’I know you’re probably mad at her. I can’t fully forgive her either. But at least now I’m certain that she left us for a good reason. She wouldn’t otherwise. She loves us.’’

‘’She loves  _you_ . And I never thought she just got up and left with no reason.’’ He said, opening the microwave door a bit forcefully. Stiles did not understand why his father was warming a ton of yesterday’s leftovers but whatever. ‘’The problem was that she left with no explanation. She entered my life like a hurricane; a young girl, barely eighteen, pregnant and scared out of her mind. She told me her story, she begged me to believe her and I did. I trusted her when I had no reason to. She could have told me that she had to go and I would have understood. Not knowing was what shattered me and it was unfortunately you who paid for it.’’

‘’Uh… I didn’t mean to interrupt….’’ Claudia’s hesitant voice made Stiles and his father jump in surprise. She entered the kitchen with her arms crossed in a defensive posture. Had she heard…? ‘’I just wanted to ask if you and Derek are ready. We’re leaving soon.’’

‘’We’re leaving already?’’ Stiles asked, frowning. ‘’Is everyone else ready to go?’’

‘’We are not leaving with everyone else. The team doesn’t feel…comfortable travelling with us. They suggested we leave first and head somewhere differently until we deem it safe to go to the headquarters.’’ 

‘’How awfully nice of them.’’ He said bitterly.

‘’They’re right, Stiles. I wouldn’t want to lead Persona to the team headquarters either.’’

‘’So where are we going?’’ 

‘’Fatima gave me the codes for her old lab in Seattle. We can monitor things from there…plan our next moves. We’re leaving when your father is done preparing food for the road.’’

Stiles nodded. ‘’Okay…I’ll go tell Derek.’’

‘’Wait.’’ Claudia said, grabbing his arm to stop him. ‘’I just wanted to say…to both of you… that I’m sorry.’’

‘’Claudia, this is not the time.’’ His father pointed out. 

‘’I just needed to say it, okay? I left when I understood Stiles was an Alice. I left because I wanted him to have a good life; neither on the run nor under the mercy of sick, greedy minds. I wanted to fight so that the Academy would be a safe place for him to learn about his gifts...’’

‘’You wanted to leave before that… You were never happy. We could never make you happy.’’ The Sheriff said in a high voice, obviously shaken by the conversation.  

‘’You made me very happy. Unexpectedly… overwhelmingly. I was not sad. I was afraid… All the time. I was scared something bad would happen and I would lose you both. And when I left… Of course, I knew that you would understand. I trust you… I trusted you with my life and with my child’s life for God’s sake!’’

‘’So why didn’t you say anything?’’ His father asked, returning to the bench to start chopping vegetables angrily.  Stiles did not know to whose side he should go. His mother was also on the verge of tears.

‘’Because saying goodbye would be hard. I didn’t even dare to turn my head to look behind, afraid that I wouldn’t go through with it. I wanted to contact you in some way. When I sent Melissa McCall to Beacon Hills I thought maybe she could pass you some sort of message but I decided it would probably be better for you to just live in peace…’’

‘’Yeah… Sure… It was much better not knowing if you’re dead or alive.’’ The Sheriff threw the knife in the sink and left the kitchen, not even turning to look at his wife.

Stiles buried a trembling Claudia into a hug.

  
  


  
  
  
  



	12. The Mark of Death

Stiles thought that maybe his father had been right. Maybe he and his mother should have postponed clearing things between them at least till after they had reached Fatima’s lab. Now they were all confined in the small space of Chris Argent’s jeep and the tension was hanging heavy in the air. No one dared say a word, afraid that either Claudia or the Sheriff would explode the second after. Stiles and Derek were sitting side by side at the backseat, holding each other’s hand and desperately trying to communicate through glances. His father was sitting next to him, silently staring out the window, his fingers nervously tapping on his thigh. From the passenger seat, his mother would turn from time to time to check if her husband was ready to look her in the eyes. It was sad; truly sad, Stiles thought. He could feel that those two people had once loved each other. And maybe they still did… And that would be even sadder; to yearn for each other and yet have to put such distance between them.

‘’Should I turn the music on?’’ Argent asked hesitantly. No one answered. Stiles placed his head on Derek’s shoulder and closed his eyes. He felt the other boy’s thumb rubbing his skin soothingly.

Argent turned on the radio anyway and the upbeat melody of a country song filled the silence.

* * *

 

If Stiles didn’t know any better, he would assume that someone very drunk or very mad designed the route they were taking. No one in their right mind would have chosen to drive through the old and downright dangerous for the public safety roads that they were taking. It was obvious that Argent was working hard so that if people from the Academy had been on their trail, they would lose them for good.

‘’If we hit on _one_ more bump, I swear… I will throw up on each and every one of you.’’ Stiles threatened two hours into the trip. His sensitive stomach felt like it had turned upside down and he had to keep his eyes shut to prevent the world from spinning around him. It was even worse than his first trip on the train.

‘’Maybe we should stop and take a break.’’ Derek suggested.

‘’But there’s nothing around here.’’ Stiles’ mother explained. ‘’It will still be a while before we get back on a main road. We should wait and stop at a diner or a gas station…’’

‘’On _each_ and _every_ one…’’ Stiles repeated the threat.

‘’Okay, okay…’’ Argent slowed down and pulled the car into what seemed to be a decades old and badly preserved picnic area. The wooden benches were mouldy and half destroyed and the ropes of the one swing hanging between a set of trees were torn and uneven.

It was very windy outside but Stiles felt nothing but relief as he stepped out of the car. He zipped up his jacket and rejoiced at the feel of fresh air on his face.

‘’It’s not very long till Seattle.’’ Claudia stated, taking a sip of a bottle with water. ‘’ If we don’t keep taking breaks, we’ll have plenty of time when we get there to heat the lab, check if the tech is working properly and still get enough sleep.’’

Argend nodded. ’’We should also contact the headquarters. Make sure the others got there okay.’’

Stiles snorted at that. ’’Yeah... We should open with  ’’Hey,remember us? The people you stabbed in the back?’’

’’Stiles, you’re completely unfair.’’ His mother said. ’’Those are good people you’re talking about. They’ve fought with me, side by side, many times. They have _never_ let me down. On the contrary, it was _me_ who let them down. I ignored their safety and the safety of our mission in order to get you out of the Academy and then on top of that i opened our doors to a member of the Dangerous Abilities Class. I do not regret it but i also don’t blame them for wanting to protect themselves.’’

The child in him fought to find a good response for his mother but in the end he just shrugged.  ’’Whatever... I just can’t believe Kira decided to go with _them_.’’

Derek shook his head. ’’I don’t think she did. You mean the Asian girl with the Electrecity Alice, right?  I saw her leaving on a motorbike an hour or so before we left.  A guy picked her up.’’

’’It was not a guy.’’  Claudia pointed out while passing around a few sandwitches. ’’It was Braeden. One of ours.  The two of them had orders to head toward Latin America. That is as far as i know.’’

’’Whose orders?’’ His father suddenly spoke up. ’’I thought you were the one giving the orders.’’

’’Well, you were wrong.’’ She replied a little harshly. ’’I obviously didn’t organize massive operations while being a stay at home mom but thank you for the vote of confidence.’’

‘’I guessed you would have a special position. Being the widow of the leader of the revolution and all...’’

Stiles watched the features on his mother’s face distort in anger.

’’Dad! Please, this is getting too far. This is so not the time for this.’’ He threw his barely eaten sandwitch on the ground. ’’Let’s...let’s just leave.’’

’’This would probably be for the best.’’ Argent agreed even though Stiles’ parents seemed to have been absorbed in a very intense staring match. ’’Claudia, come on... We should get back on the road.’’

His mother let out a sigh of resignation. ’’You just...you have it stuck in your head that somehow he mattered more to me than you do. You couldn’t be more wrong.’’ She simply told his father and walked away, towards the car. As the rest made to follow her, they heard the engine of another vehicle heading towards them from the opposite direction of the one way street. Stiles prayed that it was simply someone who had been terribly and totally lost but the way everything suddenly got unusually quiet around them felt like a warning for upcoming trouble. Soon a black Chevy with tinted windows came into view. Stiles moved instinctually close to his father as the strange car stopped dead, right in the middle of the road.

The back door opened to reveal the tiny form of one of the Dangerous Abilities Class’ triplets. By the dark, blue ribbons at the end of her black pigtails, Stiles identified her as Mako; the triplet with the Evil Spirit Manipulation Alice. She flashed them a fake, confident smile and jumped out of the car. Behind her followed her sister Beatrice; the bearer of the Curse Alice.

‘’Long time, no see, Derek.  It wouldn’t have hurt to say goodbye, you know…’’ Mako said jokingly and crossed her arms as if to assert authority.

Beatrice glared at her sister and made a few vague gestures with her hands. Stiles didn’t speak sign but it seemed like she was telling Mako to get serious.

‘’What’s the matter, Blossom and Bubbles?’’ Stiles said, taking a step forward in a try to look unafraid. ‘’Did you lose Buttercup on your way here?’’

The triplets’ looks turned murderous. ‘’ My sister’s name is Ella.’’ Mako spitted out. ‘’And she is where she’s supposed to be. At the mission that was required of her. You see, we’re not all special snowflakes like Derek here. We actually have a sense of responsibility.’’

Derek rolled his eyes. ‘’Mako, you’re ten. Your only responsibility should be getting into bed before nine.’’

‘’You shouldn’t have to put your lives in danger.’’ Claudia cut in. ‘’You have been placed in the Academy as students, not soldiers.’’

‘’The Academy is our home. We have to fight to keep it safe.’’ The girl explained.

‘’Yes.’’ Claudia agreed. ‘’But safe from whom?’’

‘’Mom, there’s no point… They won’t understand.’’ Stiles said. That conversation was leading them nowhere. They were just children and they had been brainwashed. ‘’Why are you here? What do you want from us?’’

The driver’s door opened then and even though Stiles should have been surprised, in reality he had sort of already felt _his_ presence; by the way his heart felt tight in his chest and his limbs numb and unsteady. Persona slowly climbed out of the car and his thin, cyan lips widened to form a triumphant grin.  

‘’Claudia!’’ He exclaimed happily, hiding his cursed hands in the pockets of his long coat. ‘’I had a feeling we would get to meet soon.’’

‘’Really?’’ Claudia asked. She made to move forward but Argent reached out and held her back. ‘’Truth be told, I myself am surprised. I never expected you to come out of the Academy and face me yourself.’’

‘’Well, you took something from me. With Stiles I let it pass. I thought I could give you that and make us even… for what I took from you. But Derek… Derek belongs to me. Derek is part of _my_ family.’’

‘’It’s sad that you probably believe that.’’ She replied. ‘’ You think that all these kids deserve is to be part of the dysfunctional team that you call a family. That no one will get to accept them and understand them the way that you do. It’s not true. As it was not true when Gerard convinced you of the same thing.’’

Persona chuckled humorlessly. ‘’But it _was_ true, Claudia. You and him… You never accepted me for who I was.’’

‘’We did better than that!’’ She yelled. ‘’We loved you!’’

‘’The Principal accepted me the way I am. You were always trying to change me.’’ The man protested.

‘’ And was that so bad?’’ Claudia finally freed herself from Argent’s hold and walked toward Persona. Everyone, including the pale skinned man, gasped when she raised her hands to cradle his face between them. ‘’Was it so bad that we wanted you to be able to have _this_? Don’t you miss it? Touch, warmth, connection…’’

Stiles was shocked to see Persona almost leaning against his mother’s touch. His expression looked pained; like he was thirsty for the contact but not willing to succumb to the need.

‘’The Academy…my team… that is all I need. That is all I will ever need.’’ He grabbed her wrists and smiled. ‘’And honestly Claudia… you have to stop underestimating me. Don’t make the same mistake that _he_ did.’’ Stiles watched in horror as the pattern of the veins visible on the back his mother hand took a sickly, black color. Soon, Stiles was able to spot Persona’s poison reaching up to her neck.

‘’I’m not as weak as I was back then, you know. Even your precious Alice is not enough to hold this kind of power back.’’

It was obvious that Persona trying to push through the Nullification Alice was not something he was doing without extreme effort. One could easily see that he was in as much pain as the woman he was hurting. In spite of that, he did not seem willing to let go.

Seeing his mother in agony, Stiles rushed forward. He was at her side in seconds, throwing himself on Persona with as much force possible. He struggled to push him away from his mother but the man tightened his grip around her and wouldn’t move an inch back.  

‘’Stiles…Stiles. It’s fine…’’ He heard her say. He turned his head to see his mother calm and collected, despite the tears on her face. The black veins had disappeared and she seemed to breathe with relief. Apparently, Persona couldn’t get through two Alices combined.

Persona pushed both of them back with a disgruntled noise.

‘’We can do this all day if you like. But Derek is coming with me in the end.’’

‘’The hell he is!’’ Stiles shouted.

‘’You think?’’ Persona replied with voice dripping with sarcasm. ‘’Let’s see… My team; deadly touch, curse that can cause excruciating pain and if needed…a ghost army. Your team; a powerless human, a fire telekinetic who probably won’t use his Alice against children and, uh Chris, our beloved _traitor_ , if I remember well… a very weak, almost there Self-healing Alice. So tell me, Stiles? Who are you going to protect first?’’

Stiles didn’t answer. He just turned and walked towards Derek. He grasped him by the hand and just… held on to him defiantly.

Despite their original confidence, the triplets now looked hesitant and confused. Beatrice signed nervously at Derek.

Derek nodded. ‘’I know that you don’t want to hurt anyone…I know. Don’t worry. I’ll come with you.’’

‘’What? No!’’ Stiles tightened his grip around Derek’s hand.

‘’Derek, you don’t have to do this.’’ Claudia said. ‘’We can take care of this.’’

‘’Thank you, Claudia. You did everything you could to help me, even though you knew it would put you in danger. But now I have to take care of this myself.’’

‘’Derek, please…’’ Stiles whispered by his side.  

Derek said nothing else. He didn’t even look at Stiles. He stared straight ahead where Persona was waiting for him, looking pleased.

‘’Derek… if you go with him, I will never forgive you.’’ He pushed. It was a lie of course.

The boy freed his hand from Stiles’ hold and moved forward. Stiles was on the verge of falling apart.

‘’You are welcome to drive if you want.’’ Persona told Derek. He sounded like a father trying to make up with his rebellious, forever angry, teenage son.

‘’No, you drive.’’

Persona sighed tiredly. ‘’As you wish.’’ He turned around and moved to open the driver’s door. It was at that instant that Stiles saw Derek tearing something that was tied around his neck; like the cord of a medallion, maybe? He was startled by the flash of something bright red and then a cry of pain before Persona was down on the ground, writhing and clutching his neck.

Claudia was the first to run to Derek’s side where he was standing still above Persona’s body.

‘’Derek, no! What were you thinking?’’ She turned to look at him with wide eyes that Stiles couldn’t figure out if they meant panic or fury. ‘’Do you even understand what you have done?’’

‘’I’m free.’’ Stiles heard Derek mumble. ‘’They’re free too.’’ He added pointing to Mako and Beatrice. And then he collapsed next to Persona.

‘’Derek!’’ Stiles cried. ‘’Derek!’’ In an instant, he was crouched by the boy’s side, with his head on his lap, trying to understand what the hell had happened. He could hear his mother muttering something about consequences and Argent possibly trying to calm her down but right now he could focus on nothing else but Derek. His skin, which was always burning hot, was now pale and cold under his hand.

‘’Derek, open your eyes.’’ He pleaded. ‘’I need to know you’re okay.’’

Derek said something but his voice came out weak and Stiles didn’t get it.

‘’What? What did you say? Derek, are you still with me?’’

‘’I…I said…I’m afraid they will be different.’’ The boy whispered.

‘’It’s not important.’’ Stiles replied quickly, even though confused.

Derek’s eyelids fluttered and he slowly opened his eyes. They _were_ different. They were close to the red he flashed whenever he was using his power. But now they were a darker sort of red; as if the red was trying to push through a veil of black.

‘’They’re different.’’ Stiles admitted. ‘’They’re still beautiful, though. _You_ are always so beautiful.’’ He added and stroked lovingly the cool skin on his cheek.

Stiles could still remember how it felt to look into Derek’s eyes for the first time; those extraordinary, green eyes. They had made him feel warm all over and strangely powerless against them. He would miss them very much. But that didn’t make Derek any less gorgeous… or any less Derek. And Stiles loved Derek.

His father came to crouch beside Persona who was no longer moving. He turned his head and then Stiles could see that it was a red Alice stone that had penetrated the side of his neck. The stone was long and smooth like a stalactite. Blood was still coming out of the wound.

‘’I don’t understand. What did Derek do wrong?’’

‘’You don’t… You don’t just kill somebody with the Mark of Death.’’ His mother said, still obviously upset.

‘’Why?’’

‘’The Mark of Death is a curse.’’ Argent explained. ‘’It doesn’t just disappear. It passes along.’’

‘’Derek has the Mark now?’’ Stiles asked. Argent nodded. ‘’You knew this would happen?’’ He asked Derek.

‘’Yes.’’

‘’Then why on earth did you do it?’’

‘’I just… I didn’t care anymore. I wanted him out of our lives. I can still touch _you_ and that’s all that matters to me.’’

‘’Stupid teenagers.’’ Stiles’ mother cursed under her breath. His father just smiled and got up to get close to the girls who all this time were just staring in shock. He took off his green jacket that was big enough to cover both of them and then helped them to get back into the car.

‘’We should drive them to the nearest police station.’’ The Sheriff suggested.

‘’Yes.’’ Argent agreed. ‘’I will go with you. Claudia and the boys should keep going and we’ll find them in Seattle.’’

‘’Okay. Derek, can you move?’’ Claudia asked. Derek just grunted affirmatively and Stiles helped him to his feet.

When they were once again in the back of the jeep, Derek leaned into him and whispered. ‘’The stone was for you, you know. I wanted you to have mine too.’’

Stiles tried to calm down the butterflies in his stomach; unsuccessfully so. ‘’What does this mean?’’

‘’That I’m yours. I know that I look strange now…’’ He started to say but Stiles cut him off with a kiss.

‘’I don’t recall giving you permission to kiss.’’ Claudia joked from the driver’s seat but the boys kept going at it. ‘’Oh, okay…’’ She sighed as if in resignation. ‘’That doesn’t mean I’m not still mad at Derek.’’

Derek didn’t seem to mind.

* * *

Stiles wasn’t sure that Derek fully understood the seriousness of what he had done. To him the idea of not being able to seek out contact from the people around him seemed impossible. He was beyond ecstatic that his boyfriend believed that Stiles’ hands on him was enough to get him through a life empty of any other kind of touch but he was also worried. Well… maybe from now on he should be extra tactile when it came to Derek; to balance things out.

‘’You feel a bit warmer now.’’ Stiles told Derek as they were standing side by side on an elevator heading to the eighteenth floor of a relatively new building. At the entrance, Stiles noticed that it mostly housed microbiology or cytology labs and some private practices.

‘’Still a Fire Alice.’’ The boy pointed out, smiling. _Smiling_. It was starting to freak Stiles out. It was like Derek was still in denial about what he had done and any minute now he would break down.

‘’Okay, this attitude? Not very Derek-y of you.  Your normal emo self would be a puddle on the floor right now, mourning the tragedy that is his life and how people should not get close to you etc. etc.  So… you know… what gives, dude?’’

‘’You make me sound like a miserable son of a bitch!’’

‘’Yes!’’ Stiles exclaimed. ‘’ _My_ miserable son of a bitch. So what have you done with him?’’

Derek just rolled his eyes in a fond kind of way. It was Claudia who answered from the other side of the spacious elevator.

‘’Stiles, for God’s sake… Derek is trying to be brave about the decision he made. Either right or wrong, there’s nothing he can do about it now other than live with it. So if you’d stop working him up about it and just concentrated on what we’re doing right now, it’d be great.’’

Stiles side eyed Derek and mumbled an apology. Derek took his hand in his and brought it to his mouth for a kiss.

‘’If I’m about to have a nervous breakdown, be sure you’re the person I’ll be having it with.’’

Stiles nodded seriously. ‘’Please, do.’'

When the elevator doors opened, Stiles and Derek set on dragging out the travel bags and Claudia walked ahead to work on opening the door leading to Fatima’s lab. There were two doors on that floor but one looked like it led to a storage room while the other looked like what vault doors Stiles always imagined would look. Fatima had given his mother keys for seven different locks and a very complicated password. Claudia, Stiles and Derek had had to each memorize a part.

‘’That’s weird…’’ Stiles heard his mother say.

‘’What’s wrong?’’ He dropped the bag he was holding on the ground and rushed to her side.

‘’I only used the first key and the door opened.’’ His mother explained.

‘’Is it a trap? Is someone already inside?’’ Derek asked from behind him.

‘’We’ll just have to see.’’ Claudia rid herself of her backpack and pushed the door wide open.

 All three entered the main room which was about 100 mm2 . Despite the fact that most of the equipment had protective covers on, the place didn’t look abandoned but well taken care of. The monitors hanging on the walls didn’t seem older than five years and the centrifugals were also new. There was a little dust and a few broken test tubes here and there but that was all.

‘’I’m going to the back room to turn the generator on.’’ Stiles’ mother said quietly.

‘’What? What if somebody is in there?’’ Stiles asked.

‘’Then it’s high time we met each other. You kids stay close to the door.’’ She ordered and moved decisively towards the back room. Before she was able to even reach for the door handle though, the door opened and a disheveled Fatima stumbled out of the room. Her white maternity shirt was torn and bloody and her long, black hair were falling free on her shoulders as she had used her hijab to stop a heavy bleeding on her right hand.

It seemed to take her a while to take in who else was in the room with her but when she finally did, a weak cry of relief escaped her lips and she fell straight into Claudia’s arms.

‘’They found us. They found the headquarters… They killed people. They took… they took the children… I didn’t know where else to go.’’

‘’Where are the others? Where is Theo?’’ Claudia asked, rubbing Fatima’s back, trying to calm her down.

‘’Theo is gone. He’s gone… Me and my daughter… we’re alone now.’’ The woman’s blue eyes filled up with tears.

‘’Is she okay? Is the baby okay?’’

‘’Yes.’’ Fatima said, pulling back. She placed her trembling hands on her baby bump. ‘’I can feel her. She hasn’t stopped moving since the attack.’’

‘’Good. Then let’s go in the bathroom to take care of you. You have a first aid kit there, right?’’ Fatima nodded. ‘’Stiles and Derek, get the things inside and see if you can manage with the generator.’’

‘’I’ll call dad first.’’ Stiles said. What had happened at the headquarters made him extremely worried about his safety. They should have thought it through better before they parted ways.

_‘_ _’Pick up, pick up_ **_…’’_ ** He chanted inside his head as he let the phone ring.

‘’Stiles?’’ He heard his father’s voice say after the third ring and almost shed tears of happiness.

* * *

 

Chris Argent and the Sheriff arrived after it was already dark. They had walked a long distance on foot to make sure they would lose easily whoever might have tried to follow them. Stiles had begged them to be extra cautious. Argent gave Stiles an Alice stone of his and he inserted it in Fatima so that she would try to heal herself. It took some time for her to get the handle of it but now her wounds looked just like old scars. Claudia helped her to some warm milk and a bit of toast and then put her to sleep. At the back room there were two sets of bunk beds but they had decided to rest inside the sleeping bags they had put down at the lab space so that they would not bother the expecting woman. There was not much rest going on of course. Their first priority was to reach as many of the team members that was possible and give them directions to their closest safe houses. After that, only a couple hours were left before dawn.

Stiles and Derek lied down side by side and even though they had their eyes closed, they could still hear everything that was going on around them.

‘’This is a disaster.’’ Stiles heard his mother say. ‘’We were so close. At least I thought we were close to bringing that fucking tyrant down…and now it is _us_ who are once again with our backs against the wall. It’s my fault. All of these. I wanted my child back and I doomed the people that trusted me.’’

‘’That’s not true, Claudia.’’ Argent’s voice came in. ‘’ We took every precaution possible. It was just a matter of bad luck.’’

‘’That just doesn’t make me feel any better.’’

‘’Not everything is lost. Persona is gone.’’

‘’So are half of the people of my team.’’ She countered back. ‘’And the other half have gone into hiding. We can’t go to war alone.’’

‘’But we can’t give up either. You were right. We are close. Or Gerard wouldn’t have done something as appallingly desperate as a massacre. Thanks to us many of his once high esteemed clones are publicly involved in scandals and many of his corporations are suffering millions of dollars worth lawsuits. We _are_ bringing him down day by day.’’

There was a long moment of silence before Stiles heard his mother speak again.

‘’We need to regroup.’’ She said after a while. ‘’ We must reevaluate the ongoing missions and distribute them in new hands; to the members that were left unscathed.’’

‘’That’s what I’m talking about.’’ Argent added encouragingly.   ‘’It’s almost morning. I’m going to take the car and drive around the area a bit. See if I notice anything worrying. ‘’

‘’Yeah, okay.’’

There was the distinctive sound of somebody pulling on their jacket and then the unlocking of a door.

‘’You haven’t said anything.’’ Claudia said a moment later.

‘’I don’t really know what to say.’’ Stiles’ father replied. ‘’I’m feeling a bit out of place in all these. But… I _am_ very sorry for all the people you lost. They must have been like a family to you.’’

‘’They were all I had when I couldn’t have you. Stiles _and_ you.’’

‘’Let’s not get into this conversation again.’’

‘’I wasn’t going to bring it up again but… I would like if something happens for you to know.’’

‘’Claudia, nothing’s going to happen. You have everything under control. ‘’

Claudia laughed bitterly in a self-deprecating tone. ‘’As you can see, I really don’t.’’ And then her voice changed to something harder. ‘’But I will rain hell down upon whoever tries to touch Stiles. So if someone comes for us, I’m going down first.’’

‘’And I with you.’’

‘’I know and that’s why I need you to understand… Before such a moment comes.’’

‘’Understand what?’’

‘’How much you mean to me. I met you literally at the worst time of my life. To anyone else I would seem just like a delusional, super hormonal, teen mom. But… you actually listened to me. You protected me and stood by me. You were there when my son was born and you decided to become a father to him even though we didn’t even know what we were to each other…’’

‘’Wait…’’ Stiles’ father interrupted her. ‘’If you’re trying to say that you’re grateful…’’

‘’I love you, you idiot!’’ Claudia exclaimed. ‘’That’s what I’m trying to say. I’m trying to say…’’ She continued, her voice unsteady. ‘’…that I can’t believe how lucky I was to meet you. To meet the love of my life right when I thought I didn’t have the strength left to love anyone anymore.’’

Stiles opened his eyes and saw Derek staring right back to him with an indiscernible look. Stiles smiled at him and the other boy smiled right back.

‘’Can you see what they’re doing?’’ Stiles whispered at Derek. Derek was laying face towards the small, leather couch beside the entrance door where his parents were last seated. So if he raised his head a bit, he would be able to see them behind all the lab equipment.

‘’They’re holding hands.’’ The boy answered quietly after he had checked discreetly.  

Stiles felt a weight he didn’t know he carried, lifting from his chest. He could suddenly breathe easier. ‘’Finally.’’

  
  
  



	13. No such thing as an end

For the next ten days or so, Stiles and Derek never left the building. The adults were going out for patrols and grocery shopping  and sometimes Claudia and Chris Argent would leave alone without really saying where they were going. Fatima’s mood had not improved. She was mostly silent and she got startled very easily. In order to occupy herself and take her mind away from the grim reality, she started working around the lab again. On nothing serious though; just silly inventions that would be useful after the baby came along.  Stiles and Derek would help sometimes and that was enough to draw out a smile and a few happy thoughts about how her daughter would enjoy the trinkets her mother was making for her.

One day Stiles woke up to the sound of a very familiar voice. For a moment he thought he was still back in Beacon Hills; that he would wake up in his room and Scott would be sitting on his desk chair, going through a comic book and telling him to get up already. But as he opened his eyes and took in the surrounding settings, he remembered where he was. And yet… he was certain he had heard Scott’s voice.

He slowly got up and with still blurred from the sleep vision looked around the room. Everyone was already up and with hot steaming mugs in hand they were standing in front of the central monitor.

‘’Stiles is up!’’ The Sheriff said excitedly when he noticed him.

‘’Cool! Buddyyyyyyy, where are you?’’ Stiles’ eyes widened in surprise. He hadn’t been dreaming before. He had indeed heard Scott’s voice. He almost tripped on his sleeping bag on his rush to get to where the others were gathered. As soon as he got there, he looked up to see Scott on the big screen, grinning widely and waving with excitement.

‘’How’s that possible?’’ Stiles asked, searching for an answer from the people around him. Argent pointed to Fatima.

‘’Fatima managed to make a cell phone that could be operational despite the Academy’s signal jammers.’’ He explained. ‘’Before I left with Derek, I gave Scott and Lydia the phone so that we would be able to communicate.’’

‘’Oh my God, thank you!’’ Stiles exclaimed. He walked to Fatima and wrapped his arms around her. ‘’Hey, where’s Lydia?’’ He asked, turning his attention back to the screen.

‘’Right here.’’ Lydia said, squeezing herself into the picture. Scott turned to look at her adoringly. Stiles had assumed his friend would have given up hope by now. But no. Scott as always was nothing but optimistic. ‘’Derek, I absolutely approve of your new look.  A touch of death always adds to a person.’’

‘’Aren’t you going to ask what happened?’’ Derek asked, frowning in confusion.

‘’Uh, no?’’ Lydia replied. ‘’In what world wouldn’t we find out that Persona was killed? Everyone in the Academy knows and everyone knows it was you who did it.’’

‘’And…aren’t you mad at me?’’

‘’Oh, I’m _so_ mad, you don’t even know. But right now, I’m mostly happy to see you again. Both of you.’’

‘’I’m happy to see you too.’’ Derek returned with a genuine smile. ‘’How are things going for you? Are you safe?’’

Lydia shrugged her shoulders. ‘’Things have taken a wild turn here but… I certainly feel safer now than before.’’

‘’Are you outside?’’ Stiles asked, trying to pick out the background. ‘’Aren’t you supposed to be hiding?’’

Scott shook his head. ‘’Not any more, dude. You have missed some very crucial events. Why did it take you so long to get in touch?’’

‘’We had some issues that we needed to put under control.’’ Argent replied. ‘’Something happened…’’

‘’Yes, we know.’’ Lydia interrupted. ‘’We learnt everything, Chris. The kid Alices that were taken from the headquarters, they were brought here at the Academy. Headmistress Noshiko was enraged when she found out what had gone down.’’

‘’About time.’’ Stiles muttered under his breath.

Lydia ignored Stiles’ comment and continued narrating the events of the past few days at the Academy. Noshiko was not the only one to be angered when learning about the unfair death of so many Alices. The news had also made the students sick with grief. They had been very angry to find out what was actually going on outside the school walls and they demanded for actions to be taken. Noshiko called in for a meeting both the teachers’ council and the students’ representatives. The teachers as always had been mostly negative about doing anything that would turn Gerard Argent’s attention to the Academy but the students made it clear that even without having the faculty member’s back, they would not allow for those cruelties to keep happening. Especially the students of the Dangerous Abilities Class, who had been objected to witness the bloodshed and prevent the children from running away, were dead set on standing at the side of their peers. There were a few of course that were not willing to go against Persona’s wishes; the students that he always held close.

Stiles snorted at that. ’’How did that work out for them?’’

’’The news of his death hit them hard.’’ Lydia admitted. ’’Jennifer and Kali tried to run away the same night but they were of course caught.’’

‘’What about the High School Principal?’’  Derek asked.

‘’Well, given the prior history, he had guessed that some of the students would not receive the news well so he had already called for re-enforcements. But the students did not let them enter the Academy. They worked together with the teachers and they kept them out.’’

Stiles felt a sense of pride building up inside him. ‘’I wish I had been there to see that.’’ He admitted with a smile.

‘’Yeah. We weren’t there either, but Greenberg told us it was pretty badass.’’ Scott said in a disappointed voice.

‘’A little while after that, word came in that Persona was dead.’’ Lydia continued. ‘’The High School Principal locked himself up in his mansion which is now swarmed with guards.’’

‘’So… what’s going to happen now?’’ Derek asked.

Lydia shrugged. ‘’We’re waiting to see what Gerard is sending our way. Everyone is working hard to protect the school from a possible attack. The lessons have stopped and we’re mostly focusing on alice training.’’

‘’What about the younger students though?’’ Fatima asked. ‘’Can’t they go home?’’

Scott shook his head. ‘’The Academy is still safer than anywhere else. It’s not just Gerard out there who is looking to exploit young Alices. Of course, the little ones are not allowed to leave the Elementary School grounds and in case of emergency, we have created safe spots where they can go hide until the danger passes.’’

‘’Tell Headmistress Noshiko that help is on the way.’’ Claudia instructed. ‘’All our people who won’t be sent on other missions will be heading there to join you.’’

‘’How will we know that it’s your people though?’’ Lydia wondered.

‘’We will be with them.’’ She explained, making Stiles’ eyebrows shoot upwards in surprise.

‘’We will?’’

‘’Yes. I’m not sure I won’t be needed somewhere else but I can at least accompany you till there. I know Noshiko can protect you and I’m guessing the Middle School Headmistress is also on board?’’

‘’As far as we know, yes.’’ Lydia answered. ‘’Señora Calavera met with Headmistress Noshiko and they seem to have come to an understanding.’’

‘’So we are going for real?’’ Stiles wanted to make sure before he got excited over nothing.

When Claudia nodded positively, both Scott and Stiles broke into cheers. They were so loud that Lydia and Derek, even though amused, had to intervene and calm them down.

‘’And Stiles!’’ Scott continued just as enthusiastic. ‘’You are going to meet our new, awesome friends!’’

‘’New… friends?’’ Stiles repeated as if he was not processing that new bit of information.

‘’Yeah, man. Look!’’ His friend confirmed excitedly and turned the phone camera away from him. For a few seconds everything was shaky and blurry but then the shot landed on two larger than average wolves playfully fighting with each other. ‘’The grey one is Cronos and the black one is Selene.  We found them a couple days ago chasing rabbits at the northern woods.’’

‘’Naturally, they fell in love with Scott. Started following him around everywhere.’’ Lydia provided.

‘’And now I’m training them to protect Lydia!’’ Scott announced proudly.

‘’In case the freezing people to death plan doesn’t work as it should have.’’ The tiny redhead added sarcastically.

‘’Don’t be rude, Lydia.’’ Chris Argent gently scolded her. ‘’I think a thank you is in order.’’

‘’Sorry, Chris.’’ The girl said apologetically. ‘’Scott already knows how much I love the wolves though…’’

Stiles saw his friend’s face light up with sheer, uncontained happiness and couldn’t help but smile fondly. He had missed him so much. He couldn’t wait for them to meet again.

* * *

 

‘’Are you excited? To go back?’’ Claudia asked Stiles while they were preparing a light dinner late that same day.

A wide smile spread on Stiles’ face. ‘’You know I am. I miss Scott like crazy. And Derek seems relieved… I think he felt a bit guilty. That **_he_ ** got to be here instead of Scott.’’ He pushed the carrots he had already chopped aside and turned to look at her. ‘’What about you though? I know you have… mixed feelings about the place.’’

His mother nodded, never taking her eyes of the microwave that was heating the leftovers. ‘’It will be hard. But I want to. I definitely want to. I was just hoping it would be under different circumstances.’’

‘'Triumphantly? To rub it in Amelia’s and Morrell’s faces?’’ Stiles asked, waggling his eyebrows playfully.

Claudia chuckled. ‘’You know me too well. I will admit this was part of it. I wanted for me to be proven right. But in the end… we were both wrong. We should have worked together from the beginning; those who left and the ones who decided to stay behind. I should not have shut them out like that.’’

‘’You and Amelia were close, yeah?’’ He picked up the knife and went on with chopping the rest of the vegetables.

His mother nodded. ‘’Like sisters. Like you and Scott, I guess. I was heartbroken when she chose to stay at the Academy. I was just… I believed that it was not what Will would have wanted. But I don’t know any more. He was wise and patient and compassionate… and I’m nothing like him.’’

Stiles stopped everything to give his mother a quick, small hug. ‘’Mom, you’re doing fine, I swear.’’

She smiled sweetly at him before she turned to look at half open door of the tiny kitchen. ‘’Let’s take these inside.’’ She said pointing to the plates. They were just a salad and few sandwiches. ‘’There’s something we need to discuss.’’

* * *

 

‘’There’s something I should tell you.’’ Claudia began when everyone was almost done eating. She and Fatima were sitting on the couch while Stiles’ dad and Chris Argent were just standing close to the window. The boys were sitting close to one another on the cold, white tiles covering the floor. ‘’It’s not something for you to worry about.’’ She added when she saw them looking at her with concern. ‘’I just thought you should know everything about the team.’’

‘’Your team?’’ Derek asked.

‘’That’s the thing. It is not _my_ team.’’ She explained. ‘’Like you and like Chris and Fatima, I’m just a part of this team. I’m not the one directing the missions or giving out orders.  And now that you’re in this with us, I think it’d be better if you know exactly what’s going on.’’

‘’Okay…’’ Stiles said, turning his full attention to his mother.

‘’The team as it is today began a couple years after I left the Academy. At the beginning when I was only hearing rumors about it, I thought it was a little movement. I thought that a handful of old students were doing everything they could to protect Alices on the run… little things like that. But then when I slowly understood the extent of its operations and the means it would take for those operations to happen, I got confused. I could not understand who was making all these things possible. It was only after I left Beacon Hills to join the others that I got to find out who started everything. And it sounded to me just as strange as it is going to sound to you, I’m sure…’’

‘’Mom, just say it already!’’ Stiles exclaimed impatiently.

‘’We call them Alpha and Beta.’’

‘’Wow… Alpha and Beta?  That was life changing info, mom.’’  He added, sarcastically.

‘’Stiles, for the love of God, let your mother finish what she’s trying to say!’’ The Sheriff said in a tone that shut the boy’s mouth effectively.

‘’We call them Alpha and Beta…’’ Claudia went on ‘’…and they are Gerard Argent’s first clones.’’

‘’What? How would that even happen? They are _his_ clones.’’ Derek pointed out while Stiles nodded in agreement by his side.

‘’Not just any clones though.’’ Chris Argent explained. ‘’They’re his very first clones. They grew up with him like siblings. And unlike the rest of the clones they have an insight in Gerard’s thoughts and memories. They almost share a conscience with him.’’

‘’And doesn’t that work both ways?’’ Stiles asked.

‘’It should.’’ Argent admitted. ‘’But my father was never sensitive in the process. Alpha and Beta are not the only clones of my father that acquired a strong sense of free will and distanced themselves from him and his actions. There are a few others…my father calls them _faulty_. But Alpha and Beta were the only ones who my father considered equals; partners. Until recently they were working side by side… Gerard was sharing his vision with them. And they were using it against him. For years. It was only after Allison’s death that they officially parted ways with him. But he still doesn’t know that they are the founders of the team. Maybe he’s starting to suspect…’’     

‘’ So you trust them? Gerard Argent’s clones to lead you?’’ Stiles wasn’t sure he felt comfortable with the idea.

‘’They have guided us right through all those years.’’ His mother replied.  ‘’I trust them completely. Without them we wouldn’t have gotten so far.’’

‘’And they basically raised me.’’ Chris added. ‘’They are good people, Stiles. But they won’t be leading us for long.’’

‘’What do you mean?’’

‘’They have both been diagnosed with cancer. Same type. Same stage.’’ The older man said, looking at Stiles meaningfully.

‘’So you think…?’’

‘’Well, we weren’t sure at first, even though it would have been a pretty big coincidence. But… Alpha and Beta told us they could sense it; Gerard’s fear, anger and despair. So it must be true…’’

‘’Gerard Argent is dying.’’ Stiles concluded.   

* * *

Stiles couldn’t tell for sure what Gerard’s imminent death would mean to them. He was exhilarated of course with the prospect of him being out of the picture once and for all but would it be the solution to all their problems? He supposed that everything would depend on the stance the remaining clones would take. If they would stay united working toward a common cause or if everyone would choose to go their own way. It was possible that someone else had already taken over the Argent Empire; a successor of sorts. If the first clones had only a good year ahead of them to live, he imagined that Gerard, who was a few years older, would be in a far worse condition right now. For the only thing that Chris could assure them was that it wouldn’t be Kate Argent the one to take over after their father’s death. She had been spending the last few years in a mental health care facility and even if she didn’t, Chris was positive that their father would never trust her with his creation.

‘’Are you okay? Do you want me to stop?’’ Derek asked and interrupted his train of thought. He had been lazily mouthing against Stiles’ neck for the past few minutes but he was obviously not getting the response he was hoping for.

Stiles looked up to Derek’s concerned expression and smiled sweetly back to him. He raised his head a little bit to give a peck on the boy’s blue, potentially lethal lips.’’Sorry. Got a bit distracted with all the overthinking and stuff. But please don’t stop. I need you… i need _this_.’’ He slipped his hand through Derek’s shirt and ran it up and down across the skin of his back. ‘’It’s been too long…’’

It was the first time after almost two weeks that they had been allowed to leave Fatima’s lab. The main goal was to buy supplies since soon they would get back on the road. Of course they decided to exploit the opportunity to squeeze some making out into the program. It was a good thing that Chris Argent’s car was spacy enough in the back to allow them some flexibility.

‘’Back at the Academy, they better give us our own room.’’ Stiles stated and proceeded to drag his teeth against the bare part of Derek’s shoulder.

‘’I will riot if they don’t.’’ Derek replied emphatically and captured Stiles’ lips with his own. The kiss was aggressive and violent; and even a little bit painful. But Stiles didn’t mind at all. Because of his Alice Derek had always been too aware of himself. But every time his arousal was getting too much for him to handle, he forgot to be careful. And Stiles loved that. When Derek pulled away, he dragged him back for more and he only let him go when his lips started to feel numb.  

‘’I am so grateful i can still touch you.’’ Derek whispered, nosing softly against Stiles’ cheek. ‘’I would have gone mad if i could no longer feel you.’’

‘’I know. Me too.’’ Stiles admitted. ‘’But i would have stayed by your side any way. You have to know that. I would never leave you, Derek. I swear.’’

‘’I would though.’’ Derek said, surprising him. ‘’I would never trap you in that kind of life, Stiles. You deserve all the affection in the world. You deserve everything.’’

A sense of beautiful warmth started pooling inside Stiles’ chest. He looked into Derek’s blood red eyes and he couldn’t find anything to say that would communicate how he felt right at that moment. All the words in the world sounded too small and insignificant when his emotions held so much meaning. He wondered if everyone’s first loves were so intense and all consuming as his. He doubted it but he wished it for them anyway.

* * *

‘’Where the hell were you?’’ His mother yelled in Stiles’ face the second they entered the lab. ‘’It’s almost dark outside. I called you four times. _Both_ of you. And it went to fucking voicemail. I thought something had happened to you.’’

She looked genuinely terrified and Stiles felt terribly guilty. His father looked a bit calmer but he was wearing a disappointed expression. Chris and Fatima didn’t seem to be there. Hopefully they hadn’t gone out to look for them.

‘’I am so sorry, Claudia.’’ Derek said, his voice filled with shame. ‘’I guess we lost track of time… It’d been too long since we went out and we got carried away… Of course, there is no excuse for what we did.’’ He hurried to add, seeing Claudia’s thunderous look.

‘’There isn’t.’’ She agreed. ‘’But right now i don’t have the luxury to ground you for the foreseeable future. So we’ll have to postpone it for later. Please sit.’’ She pointed to the little couch.

‘’Did something happen?’’ Stiles asked, sitting down. His mother nodded and he watched as the anger on her face washed away to give its place to worry and anxiety. ‘’What is it about?’’

She turned to look back at Stiles’ father and he sent her a look of encouragement. ‘’ It’s about Derek.’’ She answered in a low voice, her eyes concentrated on the floor.

‘’What about Derek?’’ Stiles wondered, suddenly tense. He reached out for the hand of the boy sitting by his side and held it tight. ‘’He’s fine. We are fine.’’ He added as if to reassure himself.

‘’We were talking with Headmistress Noshiko a little earlier. About our plan to head there.’’

‘’She doesn’t want us to?’’ He asked his mother.

‘’She does. She is welcoming our help. But… she requested for Derek not to come with. He is not allowed to enter the Academy grounds.’’

‘’And you agreed? Why would she even ask something like that?’’ Stiles couldn’t help but feel confused and enraged.

‘’Because of my Alice, right?’’ Derek asked quietly beside him. ‘’Because of the Mark of Death.’’

‘’Yes. I’m sorry. She made it clear that she would not allow history to repeat itself.’’

‘’In what way? Is she suggesting that Derek is anything like Persona?’’ Stiles couldn’t believe in his ears.He wanted to scream and yell and destroy things along his way.‘’Derek was the one to sacrifice himself to get rid of Persona. For years he’d been putting his life on the line so that other students would have a safe space at the Academy. And she _knows_ this. She’s been letting it  happen. And _he_ is the dangerous one? How dare she?’’

‘’Stiles, she knows what Derek has done and she feels grateful. She’s just saying that it is important that Derek learns control first. Persona never did. He let his power change him, consume him. Not everything Derek touches has to die. But right now he can barely control his original Fire Telekinesis Alice, no one can imagine what is going to happen with the Death Mark.’’

‘’Well, he is not going to hurt anyone!’’ Stiles insisted.

‘’Not willingly!’’

‘’Will you please calm down?’’ Derek begged from the both of them. ‘’Claudia, tell me. What does the Headmistress have in mind?’’

‘’There is another Academy in Tokyo. There is a teacher there who has the same combination of Alices that Stiles has. She can help you Derek. She can help you find balance. She has worked with many hard to keep under control Alices before and she knows how to train you properly.’’

Derek nodded in understanding but Stiles was not ready to give up.

‘’So you’re suggesting that Derek travels on his own to Tokyo? How about no? Why can’t i help Derek? You said it yourself that me and that woman have the same Alices. You and me can help Derek. Together.’’

‘’Our Academy is under war, Stiles. Training Derek under those circumstances would be hard. And he cannot fight alongside people that he could accidentally hurt. He will be safe in Tokyo. You _have_ to be reasonable about this.’’

Stiles shook his head. ‘’I’m sorry. I can’t. I can’t be reasonable about this, mom.’’ He stood up abruptly, letting go of Derek’s hand, and walked quickly to enter the back room.

* * *

Derek found him a couple minutes later, sitting on one of the beds with his face buried in his hands.

‘’I know.’’ He said with a muffled voice. Derek sat by his side and rubbed him gently in the back.

‘’You know what?’’ He asked softly.

‘’I know i’m the illogical one here. And i know… i know that you’ve already decided to do it. To leave.’’

‘’I don’t want to hurt anyone.’’ Derek admitted hesitantly. ‘’If there is at least a small possibility that this will work  I want to at least try it…’’

‘’Then i’m coming with you.’’ He turned towards Derek and wrapped his hands around his neck. ‘’I’m not going back without you. It’s not fair.You only just came back to me.’’

‘’You want to come with me? What about your friends and your family? You don’t mind leaving them? You don’t mind them fighting without you?’’ Derek asked with a sad smile on his face, already knowing the answer.

‘’Yes. I mean...no. I don’t know! I just…The thought of never seeing you again…’’

‘’That is not going to happen.’’ Derek stated with certainty.

‘’How can you know that?’’

‘’Because i will make sure it won’t. You are _it_ for me, Stiles. Everything i do from now on will always be a step closer to you.’’

‘’Me too.’’ Stiles promised with a broken voice.

Derek brought their foreheads together.

‘’I never doubted that. You’re not leaving me alone, Stiles. I stopped being alone the day i met you.’’

‘’And who’s going to take care of you?’’ He asked, struggling to get the words out while fighting to swallow his tears.

‘’I will. I am not your responsibility. You don’t need to give up everyone and everything else that is important to you just to take care of me.’’

‘’When i’m with you it’s hard for me to remember that.’’ Stiles said but he could see how Derek was right. He had finally found his mother. His family was whole again. And his best friend, who if it wasn’t for him this adventure would have never even started, was waiting for him.  He was not ready to leave them behind.

Derek leaned in and brushed their lips together.

‘’Don’t be scared, Stiles. I am not. We’re almost there.’’

* * *

 

In the end Derek’s faith was justified. For him and Stiles this would be the last time they would have to part from each other. Only months later Stiles would find himself in Tokyo, snooping around the Academy’s grounds in the middle of the night to find a way in. Unfortunately, the security guards would take notice of him and drag him to the office of the Dangerous Ability Class moderator. Someone Anju Narumi; if he and Morrell ever walked down a road together car crashes would occur and several pairs of ovaries would explode. Despite Narumi’s English being beyond horrendous, Stiles would manage to pitifully explain that he was just trying to surprise his boyfriend who was not expecting him for another two weeks. Derek would come to pick his stupid, exhausted boyfriend from the office and take him to his room to put him to sleep. The next day they would wake up together, inside each others’ arms, and that would keep happening every day for the rest of their lives.

But Stiles didn’t know that yet. He had no way of being sure that he and Derek would find their way back to each other. And that’s why with his heart heavy with the ache of the impending parting, he asked Derek to make love to him. The night before each of them would leave for their destination, he slowly undressed in front of the boy he loved and begged him to be inside of him. The appartment was theirs for the night. As a gift. Or as a consolation.

Before Derek was in him he made sure he kissed every expanse of Stiles’ skin he would reach. He entered him slowly and carefully and tried to be as tender as possible. Sometimes he would stop moving at all and would just stay buried deep inside Stiles’ heat, kissing his face and whispering things in his ear. Stiles started tearing up. That was not what he needed. He needed to not think. He needed to forget that this could be their last night together. He turned them over and finally got what he craved for. He rode Derek fast and hard; to the point of rough. And Derek didn’t stop him; he let Stiles take everything he wanted from him. Even after the last waves of their orgasms had worn off Stiles didn’t come off him. He stayed on top him, Derek’s softening dick still inside him. He stared down at him and found him smiling.

‘’Stop doing that.’’ Derek told him, his smile growing even wider.

‘’Stop what?’’ Stiles asked confused.

‘’You are still thinking that this might be the last time. That this could be the end.’’

‘’But it could be.’’ Stiles replied, trying to make Derek understand. But Derek shook his head.

Stiles watched as Derek reached behind to pull something from under the pillow. It was a silver chain with a  red stone hanging from it; it was a lot darker and more delicate than the one Persona had been killed with. Stiles accepted it with trembling hands and placed it around his neck.

‘’Where is mine?’’ He asked.

Derek took off one of his silver cuffs and he saw his little aquamarine stone hanging from a chain tied multiple times around the boy’s wrist.

‘’Always here because i am always… _have_ been always… yours.’’ Derek answered. ‘’Stiles, for you and me… there’s no such thing as an end.

* * *

 

 ** _*fin*_**  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Thank you for reading and thank you for your patience. (never posting a WIP ever again...EVER...)  
> -If there is sth you feel should be added as a warning or should be added in the tags please tell me


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